Telecommunication call management and monitoring system with voiceprint verification

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a secure telephone call management system for authenticating users of a telephone system in an institutional facility. Authentication of the users is accomplished by using a personal identification number, preferably in conjunction with speaker independent voice recognition and speaker dependent voice identification. When a user first enters the system, the user speaks his or her name which is used as a sample voice print. During each subsequent use of the system, the user is required to speak his or her name. Voice identification software is used to verify that the provided speech matches the sample voice print. The secure system includes accounting software to limit access based on funds in a user&#39;s account or other related limitations. Management software implements widespread or local changes to the system and can modify or set any number of user account parameters.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/613,153filed on Feb. 3, 2015, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 12/218,145,filed Jul. 11, 2008, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.10/893,575, filed Jul. 16, 2004, which is a continuation-in-part ofapplication Ser. No. 10/215,367, filed Aug. 8, 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of telephonecommunication systems in penal institutions or similar facilities. Inparticular, the present invention relates to a computer-basedtelecommunication system with the capacity to allow an institution toauthorize, control, record, monitor, and report usage and access to atelephone network using speaker independent voice recognition andspeaker dependent voice identification to ensure that access isrestricted to authorized users only.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Generally, the need to monitor, control, record and provide detailedrecords of the usage of a telephone system in a controlled institutionalenvironment is well recognized. It is common to utilize a controlledtelephone system capable of monitoring outgoing telephone connections inmany types of institutional environments, such as, but not limited to,penal institutions, military institutions, hospitals, schools,businesses, or specific types of government institutions. The reasonsfor monitoring and controlling institutional telephone systems areevident. To prevent such institutions from incurring unaccountabletelephone costs, the institutions must either restrict access tooutbound telephone lines or employ a telephone monitoring system tocharge the responsible party for making the outbound communication.Otherwise, unaccountable telephone costs would severally hinder theavailability of the telephone systems in institutions.

Therefore, it is imperative for many institutions to utilize acommunication system that provides an accurate identification means foradministrators to determine the individual responsible for each outboundtelephone call. A communication system must also provide a monitoringmeans for maintaining a useful record of the communication.Additionally, the system may include a means for restricting access or ameans for providing options to particular users. Considering the numberof users in a large institution, different payment methods available,and the excessive call volume at many institutions, it is evident thatan effective telephone management system is essential.

Providing telephone systems in specific types of highly restrictedinstitutions, such as in penal institutions, results in theconsideration of numerous additional complicating factors. Generally,outbound communication means in penal institutions are heavily regulatedby the government. Therefore, communication systems implemented in penalinstitutions or similar facilities must meet greater securityrequirements often mandated by regulatory bodies affiliated with thecounty, state, or federal institution. Thus, the communication systemused in a regulated institution must employ unique functions.

In its most general form, a penal institution's telephone systemutilizes a call processor to approve and place a call, surveillanceequipment or monitoring equipment, and a recording device for evidencingthe conversation. Generally, these simple systems are not equipped torestrict an inmate from calling any individual or to verify theidentification of a user utilizing advanced authentication techniques.However, it is preferable for the call system devices now employed insuch institutions to have the capability to thwart an inmate fromcalling certain specific individuals or types of individuals. Withoutthe necessary constraints on an inmate's use of the telephone system,inmates have often harassed outside parties or individuals. For example,it is generally preferred that an inmate should not be able to place atelephone call to the prosecutor who prosecuted the inmate's case oranother attorney responsible for the sentencing of the inmate. Inanother example, it may be preferred that an inmate be prevented fromcontacting the victim of the inmate's crime or witnesses from theinmate's case. It has also been documented that inmates have usedprevious penal institution call systems to perpetrate additionalcriminal activities such as fraudulent schemes or specific criminalconspiracies. Specifically, inmates have been known to arrange creditcard fraud attempts, the smuggling of contraband into the facility, andhave even been known to arrange escape attempts over the penalinstitution's telephone system. Therefore, it is critical in anefficient penal institution to carefully monitor all outgoing telephonecalls making a regulated penal institution telephone system a necessity.

Another concern in implementing an efficient institution telephonesystem is cost control. In order for a system to be cost effective thesystem must critically monitor and record the activities of eachindividual user to properly charge each individual caller for his or heroutgoing calls. Typically, telephone communication systems in penalinstitutions provide an inmate with a telephone account upon arrival.Each individual receives an account number. There are several optionsfor an inmate to select with respect to payment on the account. Forexample, an inmate may place prior personal earnings into the account.The cost of each call is then deducted from the total amount in theinmate's account until no balance remains. The inmate may choose toutilize collect call means. In addition, or alternatively, an inmate maybe assigned a commissary account, where funds are added to the accountbased on work performed by the inmate. As the funds increase, the inmatemay apply these funds to the cost of placing telephone calls.

The inmate debit account may be located onsite, at a central officefacility, or at a third-party site. The inmate debit account mayalternatively be controlled by the inmate's family. For example, theinmate's family may control the inmate's access to the debit accounteither remotely (e.g., by using the Internet, accessing a toll-free/payto dial telephone number, using a mail form, etc.) or by visiting theprison facility. The inmate's family may add funds to the debit accountand thereby control the call volume allowed to the inmate.

Another requirement of a secure telephone management system in a penalinstitution is the accurate identification of the telephone callparticipants. Generally, it is common in a penal institution to assigneach inmate a personal identification number (PIN). When an inmateattempts to place a telephone call, the inmate must supply a valid PINto gain access to the telephone system. However, a primary problem withthis identification method is the ease of obtaining another inmate'sPIN. For example, individuals who commonly forget their PIN may write itdown, increasing the possibility that an unauthorized individual willview the PIN and use it. In addition, if a PIN number is compromised andutilized by an unauthorized inmate, the unauthorized inmate may then beable to call certain individuals who are restricted to that inmate,since the unauthorized inmate is no longer using the proper PINassociated with that inmate. In known systems, the PIN identificationmethod is incapable of verifying that the individual who supplies thePIN is the actual specified inmate. Some systems have attempted toimprove security by requiring the use of a debit card in conjunctionwith a PIN. The use of the debit card will only allow access to aninmate's account if the correct associated PIN is supplied. This method,however, provides only minimal additional protection because a debitcard and its associated PIN can often, with or without force, easily betaken from another inmate, or given to another inmate, especially in theviolent atmosphere of a penal institution. For example, one inmate maythreaten another inmate in order to obtain such information.Alternatively, one inmate may provide certain services in exchange forthe use of another inmate's telephone privileges. The possibility thattwo inmates will exchange accounts also exists, thereby allowing them tocontact people that would normally be restricted to them.

Further attempts to obviate security concerns include requiring personalinformation, in addition to a PIN, to be supplied by the inmate/user.For example, a user might be prompted to supply a PIN as well as certaininformation that may only be known to the user. A common example is arequest by the call system to provide their mother's maiden name. Thisprovides an additional security measure, but again is minimally securebecause such information can easily be obtained in a correctionalfacility. It would therefore be desirable to develop a telephonemanagement system that incorporates an improved method of identificationand/or verification.

Another required feature of a telephone management system for a penalinstitution or similar facility is a means for restricting calls placedby a user (e.g., an inmate). It is well documented that inmates oftentry to harass individuals related to their arrest or confinement, suchas judges, prosecutors or witnesses, etc., through telephoniccommunications. Penal institutions have attempted to prevent this byrestricting the telephone numbers each inmate is able to access. Forexample, a system may utilize a PIN or other identification means toaccess a list of telephone numbers that the inmate may not call, oralternatively, the system may access a list of numbers that the inmateis authorized to connect to (i.e., the inmate can only call the numbersappearing on the list). Telephone numbers placed on the restricted listcan include any individual related to the conviction (e.g., thearresting police officer, the prosecuting attorney, etc.), whiletelephone numbers placed on the permitted list may be, for example,close family relatives. The system may also limit the amount of timeeach inmate/user is permitted to conduct each outbound telephone callthrough the system. Furthermore, restrictions may be regularly updated.For example, if an inmate misbehaves, the inmate's telephone privilegesmay be further limited or revoked completely.

Penal institutions are also concerned with monitoring the activities andcommunications of inmates. Monitoring telephone activities is necessaryto restrict connections to illegal activities outside of theinstitution. Three existing types of call monitoring techniques areknown in the art. The first technique is live monitoring. Livemonitoring requires an operator or other individual to listen to eachtelephone call and alert the proper authorities if necessary.

The second type of monitoring involves recording the telephoneconversation via a common recording device. A common example of this isa recording device such as a magnetic tape drive. This type ofmonitoring may be continuous or intermittent depending on the degree ofsecurity required for each inmate.

The third type of monitoring is known as passive monitoring. Passivemonitoring may be activated when certain keywords are spoken. Inaddition, passive monitoring may be activated if the telephone call atthe termination end is transferred to a third party via certain knowndetection means such as “click and pop” detection, etc.

Penal institutions currently record most inmate telephone calls, withthe exception of lawyer-inmate communications which are generallyprohibited by law. Typically in the art, monitoring may occur using anycombination of the three methods (e.g., live monitoring, electronicrecording monitoring, or passive monitoring). However, it would bedesirable for a telephone management system to embody a means fordetermining which level of telephone monitoring should be employed foreach telephone call. For example, it would be advantageous to flagcertain individuals in an inmate's profile as highly suspicious. If theinmate initiates communication with the flagged individual, the systemwill alert a live operator to monitor the system. In such a system it isessential that the system correctly identify the called individual toavoid unnecessary expenditure of live operators.

Alternatively, the inmate telephone call system may utilize a remotealert notification system wherein the system contacts an operator when aviolation has occurred. The system may contact the operator utilizingtelephone means, paging means, etc. This notification system may be setto call the operator a limited number of times or until the alert hasbeen noted in the inmate telephone call system. The operator may thenaccess information about the alert remotely using the telephone,Internet, or any other such remote access means.

In order to alleviate some of the problems and concerns discussedherein, many penal institutions have implemented certain task-specificadvanced systems. Generally, these “advanced” systems known in the artcomprise several features.

For example, it is known in current systems to employ permanent callblocking. Specifically, it is known in the art to block an inmate orgroup of inmates from dialing certain telephone numbers. Most systemsalso prevent inmates from talking directly to live operators. Thisprevents inmates from requesting that the operator forward a call orprovide additional telephone numbers allowing the inmates to harass orlocate additional parties. Furthermore, current systems block “1-800,”“1-900” and other like telephone numbers including toll-free andpay-to-dial telephone numbers. In addition certain institutions mayelect to block country codes, specific area codes, or other third-partynumbers.

Current systems known in the art may also utilize a feature commonlyreferred to as “selective” call blocking. As discussed, “selective” callblocking may be employed to thwart inmates from establishing aconnection with a selected group of individuals (i.e., with the hometelephone of prison guards, wardens, indictment witnesses, trialwitnesses, police officers, judges, etc.). It is also foreseeable thatthe telephone numbers of the family members of these specificindividuals may also be blocked.

Some current systems also limit the use of specific long-distancecarriers. This feature proves useful in limiting unnecessary costsincurred by employing alternating carriers.

Several current systems utilize features commonly referred to as “flashhook” prevention or “click” and “pop” prevention modes. These systemsprevent inmates from extending the current outgoing telephone call andentering a new telephone call with a new number without fullyterminating the original telephone call. For example, this prevents aninmate from utilizing common call forwarding features and the like.

In addition, some current institutional telephone systems electronicallyor manually disable the keypad after a telephone number is dialed andthe telephone call is connected. This feature prevents inmates frominteracting with telephone games and lotteries, and in certain oldersystems, prevents the inmate from achieving an unrestricted dial tone.

Another common feature employed by institutional systems is three-waycall prevention. This feature prevents an inmate from instructing thecalled party to bridge the telephone call to another telephone number.

Other known systems in the art may exhibit other regulatory features.For example, generally, telephone communication systems allow aninstitution to limit the duration of a telephone call and/or to limitthe cost of the telephone call. These types of features further allow afacility to customize the telephone call systems thereby preventingunrecoverable expenditures.

Another control used by current institution telephone systems is the useof certain aspects of biometric recognition for the identification ofusers or inmates (i.e., the calling party). However, systems known inthe art have only used biometrics to a limited extent. It is highlybeneficial for communication systems in penal institutions toincorporate biometrics as an additional security device. Biometricrecognition is commonly available in a number of fields. For example,biometrics recognition has found a number of security uses, includingcommon usage, in credit card systems and building security systems.Biometric information includes fingerprints, rand geometry, voiceprints,retinal patterns, iris scans, signatures, infrared facial patterns, andall other sources which constitute unique physiological characteristicsand which can assist in establishing a person's identity. Variousdevices exist which can scan one or more biometric characteristics anddigitize the information.

The features discussed herein are present in several known systems. Forexample, one such system includes automatic account number validationand billing management. This system prompts a user for an account numberand compares the number inputted to a number stored in a database todetermine validity. If the account number is valid and found in thedatabase, the system completes the predetermined telephonic connection.If the number is not in the database, and therefore invalid, the systemwill utilize voice prompts to request re-entry of the number or providefurther instructions. The system attempts to locally automate andsimplify the process of payment for routing calls without live operatorassistance, but does not address additional security concerns that mayexist in specific facilities, such as in a penal institution.Furthermore, this system does not provide for protection measures toconfirm that the individual supplying the account number is theindividual entitled to the use of the account (e.g., the system does notuse any biometric identification to verify the identity of a user). Insuch a hostile environment as in a penal institution, an account numbermay easily be obtainable through coercion or by force. Additionally, thesystem does not provide any means of monitoring the conversations takingplace or restricting which individuals are accessed by the user.

Another known call management system enables prepayment of telephonecalls utilizing a debit system. Specifically, a user of the systemobtains a special code by depositing a prepayment. The prepayment isstored in a database on the call management system for use in verifyingcalling party calls. To access the system, a user dials a special numberand inputs a user-specific code for verification followed by the numberof the party to be called. Next, the code is verified by the system. Ifverification is successful and sufficient funds are available, the callis connected. The prepayment amount, minus deductions for the runningcost of the call, is tabulated as the call progresses. The callterminates either when the prepaid funds are exhausted in the user'saccount or when either party disconnects. This system also includessteps to prevent the same access code from being used at differentterminals. However, it does not have a means for selecting the call typeor a call monitoring means. The system also fails to perform an advancedverification means to identify and authorize a user.

Also known in the art is a multilingual prepaid telephone system capableof interfacing with a public switched telephone network (PSTN). In thissystem, each user is assigned a PIN and a credit account. To access thesystem, a user first dials a number to access the telephone system andchooses a language for all subsequent voice prompts. The user thensupplies a PIN, which is compared against a list of numbers in adatabase. If sufficient credit is available for the duration of atelephone call to the destination number, the connection is completedand a timer is set for the available duration of the call. The callterminates either when the allowed amount of time for the call expiresor if one party member hangs up the telephone line. If the lattersituation occurs, the system computes a new available credit balance forthe user's account. However, this system fails to provide a selectionmeans for the user, such as the ability to choose the type of call to beplaced (e.g., collect, debit, international, etc.). Further, it does nothave any call monitoring means and would therefore be unacceptable as acommunication system for a penal institution.

Yet another known system in the art is an integrated commissary systemfor receiving and processing orders in an institutional setting. Thecommissary system is designed for use without access to a PSTN. Userstatus and inventory status are stored in an onsite database. To accessthe database, a user provides identifier information and item selectionsthrough selected telephones. The selections are compared against theonsite database using a processor. If the user is authenticated and therequested items are available, the processor generates transactionrecords, updates user commissary information, and correctly adjustsinventory. The updated information is stored in a file that may be usedfor record keeping or archival purposes. However, as described thissystem does not teach a commissary system for use with a PSTN. It alsofails to teach multiple authentication means and would therefore beunacceptable for use in a penal institution.

Another known system includes a software process for real-time callrating and debiting so that a subscriber's account balance is notexceeded. The method used in this system estimates the time when theuser's balance will expire by using the total charge per second average.The process then determines the time remaining by dividing the accountbalance by the average charge per second of all telephone calls, and thetime limit for the call is then set accordingly. This method is usefulif the rate for long distance calls is not known locally. However, thesystem does not allow for other types of calls, such as collect calls,to take place. Furthermore, the system does not provide an advanced callmonitoring apparatus with an advanced authentication apparatus (e.g., novoice identification for verification is used in this system).

Still yet another known system provides automated public telephonecontrol for charge or collect call billing. The apparatus embodies amicroprocessor system controlling voice prompting, recognition ofresponses, network signaling, recording of calling details, andverification of account numbers. The system provides for an automatedtelephone billing for public telephone systems. The system offers aplurality of billing methods, such as billing to a credit accountnumber, to the called party (collect calling), or to a third party. Anadditional aspect of this known system is the recognition of voiceutterances from other signals and called party spoken words (i.e., thesystem can recognize the word “yes” when spoken by any individual).However, the system does not identify or verify the individual speaking.Furthermore, this system does not provide a means to identify the useror verify that the user is not partaking in fraudulent activities.Finally, this system fails to teach a monitoring and call control means.

Still another known system in the art includes a means for detectingthree-way call attempts by monitoring for pulses of energy indicative ofa hook-flash. The system includes a low pass filter for passing energysignals having frequencies below 500 Hertz (“Hz”), preferably in therange of 100 to 300 Hz, and an energy detector for detecting specificelectrical energy pulses passing through the filter and having apredetermined minimum magnitude. The system also includes a softwarewindow analyzer, which cooperates with the energy detector to detectspecific events, such as sound, occurring on the telephone line during apredetermined time window after the detection of the aforementionedenergy pulse. The software window analyzer includes a timer means thatis activated by the detection of the energy pulse, and a sound means fordetecting the occurrence of sound on the telephone line during at leastone of multiple windows of time defined by the timer means. Thenon-occurrence of sound on the telephone line during a specified timewindow is used by the system to confirm that the detected energy pulseis in fact a three-way call attempt. A counter means is furtherimplemented for counting specific energy pulses detected by the energydetector during the time window when the remote party is using apulse-dial telephone.

Also known is a collect call system which automatically routes longdistance calls without intervention of an outside service or operator.This feature enables private public telephone owners, as opposed toprimary telephone companies, to receive revenue for completion of thecall. The invention comprises the steps of providing the calling partywith voice prompts, receiving voice or dialed signal information aboutthe calling party in response to the voice prompts, either voice ordialed signals, locally recording the information about the callingparty, providing the called party information about the calling party,and reacting to a variety of provided signals by either the called orcalling party. The known system does not provide for other possiblepayment methods. The system is further limited by its lack of telephonecall monitoring ability and calling party identification means, and istherefore unsuitable for use in penal institutions.

There is also a known system in the art that utilizes biometricverification means for determining if a user is authorized to use acredit or identification card. This system introduces a method embodyingthe steps of receiving biometric data from a cardholder, scanning thecard to obtain user information, and retrieving authorized card ownerinformation stored in a database. The information obtained from thethree sources (i.e., cardholder, card, and database) is analyzed andcompared to verify that the cardholder is the authorized card owner. Anumber of possible biometric features may be used such as voiceprints,fingerprints, digital photography, and retinal scans. The systemcompares the user information to an already existing database, whichlessens the possibility of incorrect identification. Further, the systemprovides a reliable means for verifying a user in a credit or debit cardsystem. However, the system fails to implement additional biometricmeans useful in identifying a called party and fails to apply thesefeatures to specific institutional functions.

Systems are known in the art for controlling, monitoring, recording andreporting telephone communications. The system deals primarily with theidentification of a user through use of a PIN and restricting telephonecommunications through a profile accessed by the PIN. The system furthercontemplates means for monitoring and recording communications. Thesystem may also incorporate an improved method of monitoring calls. Themethod includes a means for detecting tones commonly associated withcall bridging and call forwarding attempts. For example, it can detecttones such as ring signals, busy signals, special information tones (SITtones), dual tone multi-frequency tones (DTMF), call progress tones orother similar tones characteristic of the placement of a telephone call.However, this system is limited by detection of certain sounds which maynot be readily machine-recognizable. For example, it is foreseeable thatinterference, background noise, or compressed voice data may inhibit thedetection of the tones.

Another known system is used for the verification of a calling party,called party and a secure connection by using secure telephone devices,such as the Micro MMT Sectel® 1500BDI. Specifically, in this system, thecalling and called parties supply voice data which is encoded andtransmitted over a telephone network. Both users hear the alternateparty's recorded voice data and verify that the supplied voice data iscorrect. The call is established only if both parties verify that thecalled party has provided the correct voice data. However, as is knownin the art, the secure telephone devices are often costly and would notprovide adequate security in a penal institution or similar facility.Additionally, the system does not allow for different possible paymentmethods for calls or call management. Another system known in the artuses voice recognition as an identification means, including speakerrecognition by using two processing units. The first unit receives voicecharacteristic information by recording specific words spoken by theuser. The information is analyzed and stored in a database. The systemprompts the user for additional information, which is then received by asecond processing unit. The results of the analysis of the secondprocessing unit are sent to a first processing unit with the previouslystored information. A comparison of the analyses determines if the useris authorized. This system is limited by its inability to manage callrestrictions and lacks monitoring capabilities.

Another system known in the art permits users repetitive access to amultitude of systems. The system requires an initial enrollment phasefor access. The enrollment phase consists of extracting biometric datato be stored for future use. The format of the data is compatible with aplurality of verification identification systems including voicerecognition, fingerprint identification, and retinal scanidentification. However, there are no restrictions to the system orfurther monitoring means during use of the system, which are essentialfor systems within a penal institution.

Finally, a system is known that uses acoustic and non-acousticattributes to identify. An initial profile is created by both utterancesspoken by a user and non-acoustic information, such as keying in auser's customer number or social security number. The acousticrecognition contemplates the usage of a plurality of voice recognitionmethods. The system is limited in its ability due to the lack ofmonitoring or call management abilities.

In view of the foregoing, clearly there exists a need for an improvedmethod and apparatus for managing an institution's telephone callsystem. There also exists a need for an improved method for controllingaccess to an institution's telephone call system by use of advancedauthentication and verification techniques including integration ofvoice or other biometric identification means. Furthermore, a needexists for an improved telephone call monitoring system for a penalinstitutions or similar facilities that addresses the increased concernsof monitoring the call activity of the calling party. In particular, aneed exists for a computer-based telecommunication system with thecapacity to allow an institution to control, record, monitor, and reportusage and access to a telephone network.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention embodies an improved telephone call managementsystem using improved identification means including biometricidentification. For example, the identification means may include theutilization of speaker independent voice recognition in conjunction withspeaker dependent voice identification. This, in combination with auser-specific personal identification number (“PIN”) provides animproved method of identifying and restricting a user's access andutilization of an institution based telecommunications network. Inaddition, the present invention incorporates control means, monitoringmeans, recording means, and a reporting means for an institution basedtelecommunication network. The present invention may implement a debitcard platform or other such payment methods. The system of the presentinvention may be implemented in a variety of facilities including, butnot limited to, penal institutions, mental institutions, nursing homes,rehabilitation centers, correctional facilities, government agencies;private and public business, and the like.

One objective of the present invention is to provide a telephone callsystem including a means for identifying and authenticating aninstitutional calling party. For example, it is foreseeable that thesemeans may include, but not be limited to, the use of aninstitution-assigned inmate specific debit card requiring specificauthentication data, the use of biometric recognition devices, the useof radio frequency identification devices, etc.

As one specific example, the system may require that a user provide avalid PIN and corresponding voice identification to access the system.The system can verify the PIN and match the provided voiceidentification with a stored record. Further, the invention ensures thatthe voice identification includes certain words (e.g., the caller'sname). This prevents an inmate from using an easily mimicked voicesample (e.g., the system would reject a voice sample that consists of auser simply whistling, coughing, or remaining silent).

The system of the current invention is designed to operate in either alocal area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). In a LANconfiguration, the telephone system is controlled by a configurableswitchboard device that routes calls, provides voice prompts, andresponds to menu selections. Calls placed by users of the system arerouted through the switchboard device and connected to the properoutgoing trunk based on the type of call placed (e.g., collect, debit,etc.). The switchboard tests outgoing trunks as calls are placed. If nodial tone is detected, the trunk is taken out of service for apre-programmed period of time. An integrated cross point switch enablesany telephone to access any available outgoing trunk. The cross pointswitch also allows calls from other switchboard modules to be routed toalternate modules for completion. During periods when all trunks are inuse on the module at the telephone connection, calls can still becompleted provided that some trunks are available on alternate modules.The switchboard device also has an integrated channel bank, allowing forfully integrated T-1 capability. This allows calls to be processedeither over analog or digital trunks as required. The architecture ofthe switchboard allows it to accommodate multiple processors,eliminating system overload during extremely busy periods of telephoniccommunications.

The switchboard is connected to a site server, which is commonlyreferred to as an ITAC (Inmate Telephone Access Control) in penalinstitutions or a UTAC (User Telephone Access Control) in certain othertypes of institutions. This device serves as the main database for thetelephone management system. It has the ability to log and recorddetails of all telephone calls placed through the system and store themfor a period of time defined by the institution. The ITAC/UTAC alsodigitizes all information for the digital T-1 trunk. A recorder, whichmay be integral to the system or remote to the system as a separatestorage means attached to the ITAC/UTAC, is responsible for recordingthe telephone calls and storing them in one or more databases dependingon the size of the institution or the amount of data which must bearchived by the institution and the capability of the storage means.

In the system of the present invention, a new user receives a PIN,account number, cell location and other identification information. Thisidentification information is stored in a database preferably located atthe ITAC/UTAC. Further, a new user is required to speak his or her namewhen subscribing. This sample speech, also stored in the database, isutilized as voice identification data every time a user places a call.Specifically, the system prompts the user to speak his or her name andthe user's response is compared with the original speech sample usingspeaker dependent voice identification. Importantly, the system includesmethods for ensuring that the original speech sample is the user's nameand is not an easily mimicked speech sample, and that the speechcaptured when placing a phone call matches this original sample.

Connected to the ITAC/UTAC are a number of administrative andinvestigative workstations used to create, edit, and monitor useraccounts and telephone calls. The investigative workstations may be usedto listen to the outgoing telephone calls in real time or to accesscalls stored on the server or other type of database or storage means.

In a WAN configuration, the site server is connected to multipleswitchboard devices that are located in separate institutions. In thisembodiment, the ITAC/UTAC serves as the database location for the entiresystem. Administrative and investigative workstations may be located atevery facility. Alternatively, it is foreseeable that one or more setsof workstations at a central facility may be used to administrate alluser accounts.

User-friendly software utilizing a graphical user interface (OUI) orother types of on screen display (OSD) capable devices may be employedto administer all user accounts of the telephone management system. Thesoftware allows a system administrator to provide calling restrictionsat all levels of operation. Such restrictions may include, but are notlimited to, the total number of minutes allowed, the total number ofcalls placed, dates and times calls are allowed, telephone exchangesallowed to be accessed, the number of times the debit inquiry system maybe used, and other like restrictions. If a WAN configuration is beingused, such restrictions can be set for each institution on the networkor for the entire telephone network. In addition, it is contemplated bythe present invention that different divisions of each institution, suchas cellblocks in a correctional facility, may also be given globalrestrictions. Since each division of the institution is linked by aLAN/WAN, changes can be made at any of the different institutions andthen be applied globally or locally.

Additional restrictions and options are available for individual useraccounts. For example, each user may be assigned a language for thetelephone system's voice prompts. Another option is the ability to limitthe telephone terminals a user may call from or the payment methodutilized for each call made.

The called party that a user may contact may also be restricted. Forexample, certain exchanges or telephone numbers may be blocked.Alternatively, users may have to submit a pre-approved list of numbersto the system administrator. Once the user list has been checked toensure that the inmate is allowed to call those people, the inmate mayonly call the people on this list.

Certain options for contacts on the pre-approved list may be set foreach person on the list. For example, a language for each person may beset. The voice prompts for that contact will then be in that language.Contacts may also be assigned specific recording restrictions. Forexample, a conversation between an inmate and an attorney may requirespecific recording restrictions. Other options such as if a caller canonly place calls collect or by debit, may also be specified.

An additional feature of the software is that it can create a debitaccount for each user and monitor the account balance. The cost of eachcall is subtracted from the account after the call is completed. Also,an account administrator can manually add or subtract funds toindividual accounts. The inmate's access to the account mayalternatively be controlled by the inmate's family. In thisconfiguration, the inmate's family controls the inmate's funds andthereby controls the inmate's access to the account.

Since the site server logs data about each call, the present inventionis designed to provide reports, either in electric or hard copy form,utilizing specific data from the database. Therefore, a systemadministrator can track important statistics such as the net profit ofthe telephone management system during a certain time period. It isforeseeable that the software may incorporate extensive data processingservices for providing a user a multitude of correlated dates.

In one embodiment of the present invention, when a user attempts toaccess his or her account to place a call, the user may be requested,via voice prompts, to select a voice prompt language and enter auser-specific personal identification number. The information entered bythe user is compared with information stored in the database for thatspecific user. If a corresponding PIN match is not achieved, averification error may be provided and the system may request a re-entryof the PIN. It is foreseeable that if the second attempt fails toprovide a match, the individual may be denied access to the telephonesystem and an official may be notified.

The system can also use speaker dependent voice recognition as an addedlevel of security. For example, when a user is registered (i.e., given aPIN), the system can also store a sample of the user's speech andassociate that sample with a PIN. Then each time an inmate attempts acall by entering the PIN, the system prompts the inmate to repeat thepreviously provided sample. The system utilizes speaker dependent voiceidentification to ensure the inmate placing the call has the same voiceas the stored sample.

The system can also use speaker independent voice recognition to ensurethe sample of speech is a certain key word (e.g., the inmate's name).This prevents an inmate from storing a sample (e.g., a whistle, cough,etc.) that is easy to mimic.

Once the inmate's identity is verified, the system may announce theinmate's call restrictions. For example, the system may access apre-recorded menu of restrictions informing the inmate of specificrestrictions, such as total telephone usage time, individual calllength, and different payment options, such as collect call means ordebit account means. The system may then connect to the desired calledtelephone number, provided that the number is on the accessible numberlist for that user. The system may first prompt the person called toselect a language for future voice prompts. The language selected maythen be saved in the database. Then, the called party may be informed,via voice prompts or other like means, the identity of the calling partyand location from where the calling party is located (e.g., John Doefrom Peters State Penitentiary). The called party can accept or rejectthe caller through voice response, DTMF tones, or other like inputmeans. If the called party provides a negative response (i.e., rejectingthe call), the called party may select an option blocking calls fromthis caller, institution or similar calls in the future. The data maythen be stored in a database. After accepting the call, the called partymay be prompted to supply identification information (e.g., socialsecurity number, user name, date of birth, etc.). Additionally, thecalled party may be asked to provide a PIN to be used for futureauthentication. The information may be used to later identify the calledparty and verify permission for communication with the calling party.Alternatively, if the called party is on a pre-approved list, the callmay proceed without any voice prompts in a similar manner as a normalPSTN telephone call.

The system may also utilize other authentication means to provide accessto the telephone management system. For example, biometric data may berequired to access the system. Biometric data includes, but is notlimited to, voiceprints, face architecture, signature architecture,fingerprints, retinal prints, hand geometry, and the infrared pattern ofthe face. Such data may be acquired from users either from priorsupplication to biometric systems or from the acquisition of the datafrom the user upon the creation of a telephone account for use with thesystem. This data may be stored along with the user's PIN in the user'saccount profile or some other storage means to be used later as anauthentication device.

When a user attempts to access the telephone system at a later time, theuser may hear a series of voice prompts directing the user to firstsupply a PIN and then supply the same form of biometric information thatis stored in the database. For example, if the user's thumbprint wasstored digitally in the database, the user would have to supply athumbprint to a device capable of scanning it and converting theresulting data to the same format as the information in the database.The scanned data would then be compared to the information maintained inthe storage database. If a positive match occurs based on the PIN andbiometric data entered, then the user would be granted access to thesystem subject to user specific restrictions.

Biometric authentication means may also be implemented to authenticatethe called party. In this type of system, the authentication may includeone or more biometric authentication means in addition to non-biometricauthentication means. In this embodiment, before the called party isallowed to converse with the caller, the called party may be asked tosupply voice authentication and/or provide a PIN. This information maybe stored in a database either prior to a user's first call or when thefirst call is made. Similar to the method of speaker independent voicerecognition and speaker dependent voice identification (utilized toverify inmates), the system may require the called party to speak aspecific word or phrase (e.g., the caller's name). Speaker independentvoice recognition is used to verify what the called party spoke. Again,this additional step ensures that the called party provides asignificant voice sample that is not easily mimicked. If the data hasbeen stored prior to the call, the called party would have to state thepre-recorded phrase. The recorded data would then be compared withinformation in the database. If the data is in compliance with theinformation in the database to within some pre-assigned statisticalthreshold, the system would allow the call to proceed and a connectionwould be made. If the data had not been stored prior to the call, itwould be retrieved from the called party and used for future voiceauthentication.

A further authentication means that may be utilized by the presentinvention is the use of radio frequency (“RF”) authentication. The usercan be required to have in the user's possession some type of radiofrequency identification technology to access the telephone system. Thismay be accomplished in a number of ways.

In a first example, each user of the system would be required to wear anRF band attached preferably to the ankle or wrist. The RF band may beactive, passive, or neutral. For example, the frequency of the band isunique to each wearer. An active RF band contains a transponder thateither intermittently or constantly emits an intermittent RF pulse thatis detected by a series of sensors placed about the user's location. Thesensors relay the detected data to a remote or central databasecontaining a processor that calculates the location of the wearer in oneof two usual methods known in the art, as well as those methods not yetcontemplated.

The first method involves triangulating the user's source, whichrequires two or more sensors or a sensor on a rotating platform. Theanalyzing system detects the angle of the incident pulse with the sensorand uses this data from multiple detectors to triangulate the source ofthe user.

A second method of detection involves the analysis of the time of flightof the emitted RF pulse. This method requires the same sensorconfiguration as the triangulation method. In this method, the sensormeasures the time it takes each pulse to arrive at the sensor locationas compared to the pulses that occur at a regular rate in an active RFdevice. From this data, the analyzing system can determine an accuratedistance from the sensor that the user must be located within some minordegree of error. By combining this information from a multitude ofsensors, the location of the person can be triangulated.

Active RF bands may be used in the present invention to locate anindividual within the facility housing the telephone system. When anindividual attempts to access a telephone terminal, the system candetermine the user accessing the terminal since the location of eachindividual is known. The options for that specific individual can thenbe used by the phone terminal allowing the user to place a call.

It is advantageous to use active RF bands because they are very accuratefor determining the location of an individual. However, most activesystems have a relatively short battery life and require constantrecharging. A passive RF device may also be used with only slightmodification to the system. A passive RF device works by emitting apulse only when activated by some other emitted pulse. In thisembodiment, the sensors may also be equipped with RF pulsing devicesdesigned to activate the user's RF devices. When a user attempts toaccess a telephone terminal, the system sends out a pulse. As a result,the user's RF device is activated and the person using the telephoneterminal is authenticated. The user's specific user options can then beforwarded to the telephone terminal the user is utilizing.

Passive RF bands may be used in conjunction with the present inventionfor a variety of applications. For example, each telephone may belocated in its own booth and fitted with an RF emitter and sensor. Whena person attempts to access a telephone account at a terminal, anemitter terminal can send out a pulse activating a passive RF userdevice. In turn, the RF device may emit a responsive pulse.Subsequently, the sensor on the terminal can detect the responsivepulse. Using time of arrival analysis, the user can be located andverified, thereby authenticating the telephone terminal.

Neutral RF bands may also be used in the present invention. Neutral RFbands function by reflecting an incident RF pulse with a slightmodulation, which is unique to each user. In response, the sensor on thetelephone terminal can record the reflected wave and forward theinformation to analyzing software. The analyzing software subtracts offthe original pulse signal to determine the modulation frequency of theuser's RF band, thereby authenticating the user at the terminal. Thecorrect user options can then be supplied to that specific terminal.

In another example of the present invention, a debit card may also beused in conjunction with a PIN. At each terminal, the user may beinstructed to scan a user-specific debit card into a debit card readerand enter a corresponding PIN in order to gain access to the system.Alternatively, a user may enter information related to a debit card inany of a number of known procedures followed by a PIN. This method ofauthentication may also be combined with biometric and/or RFidentification means.

After a user is authenticated and a calling party is contacted, thepresent invention provides monitoring and safety means that are activewhen a call is in progress. Call recording is the primary securitymeans. There are three types of call recording utilized by the presentinvention. However, numerous other call recording systems in accordancewith the concepts and objectives of the present invention may beincorporated.

In a first call recording protocol, by default, all calls are logged andrecorded unless otherwise specified in a user's contact file (e.g.,calls to an attorney are not recorded). It is foreseeable that calls maybe archived on a site server or other database storage means for futurereference.

A second type of call recording implemented in the present invention isreferred to as passive recording. This type of recording may utilizevoice recognition software to listen for certain key words or phrases ina conversation. If a key word is uttered, the system records the rest ofthe call and alerts the system administrator, proper authorities, orimplements other security procedures. For example, in a penitentiary, ifthe word “drugs” is used in a conversation, the system may be activatedthereby recording the remainder of the conversation.

The third type of call recording that may be utilized in the presentinvention involves an operator scan of a user conversation. In responseto a flagged conversation, the operator may have the discretion toselectively record the conversation. For example, using the samesoftware used to administrate accounts, an operator can selectivelylisten to conversations and record suspicious conversations for futurereference.

Third-party call detection is another security feature that the presentinvention may utilize. The system software may have the ability todetect whether a third party is connected upon the origination of thecall. If a third line is detected, but not authorized, the software willend the communication and notify the authorities that such an event hasoccurred. The telephone management system may also include a featurethat terminates the telephone call if more then a certain number ofindividuals are included in the conversation. It is foreseeable thatthis may be accomplished by voice recognition means.

Another type of third-party call detection involves the detection ofhook-flash events. A hook-flash event occurs when a user hangs up thetelephone for only a brief instant during a telephone call, just longenough to not disconnect the line. This is usually characteristic of aswitch between lines on call waiting or to initiate a three-wayconference call. If the telephone system's software detects a hook-flashevent by either party to the call, it will terminate the call and alertthe authorities. This feature of the system prevents unauthorized thirdparties from taking part in telephone conversations.

An additional security means incorporated in the present invention isthe locking of the telephone keypad after a connection is made. Thisprevents the caller from dialing out to a third party that has not beenapproved after a pre-approved connection has been made. Alternatively,the system may allow the user to only press a predetermined number ofkeys after a connection has been made. This allows an authorized user toaccess an automated service and enter menu selection keys.

The human voice has the capability of creating DTMF tones also. In orderto differentiate tones created by a user's voice from tones created bythe telephone keypad, the present invention incorporates software whichmonitors the frequency of DTMF tones. Such software is capable ofdetermining the source of the DTMF tones.

One objective of the present invention is to provide an efficient andreliable user identification system using biometric identification meanswherein speaker independent voice recognition and speaker dependentvoice identification are used to verify the identity of a user each timea user attempts to place a telephone call.

Another objective of the present invention is to capture a significantsample of a user's speech when the user subscribes to the system and torequest the user to repeat this sample every time the user places atelephone call to provide an improved voiceprint identification systemfor use in a telecommunications call management and monitoring system.

An additional objective of the present invention is to provide animproved telephone communication monitoring system. Another object ofthe present invention is to provide an improved call management systemusing a user-friendly operating system.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improvedcall management system capable of operating in a LAN or WAN.

A further objective of the present invention is to permit alterations ofcall restrictions and options through a computer control unit.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a meansof restricting communication options to certain users.

An additional objective of the present invention is to incorporatebiometric verification, including voiceprints, face architecture,signature architecture, fingerprints, retinal prints, hand geometry,infrared pattern of the face, etc., with a debit card system. Yetanother object of the present invention is to utilize a combination of aPIN and a voiceprint to accurately verify a caller.

Still another object of the present invention is to restrict voiceprintsto certain keywords or phrases to ensure that the voiceprints can beused accurately for subsequent identification of a caller.

Yet another objective of the present invention is providing calledparties with the option of rejecting the call and blocking similar callsin the future.

Another object of the present invention is to incorporate an active RFdevice for use in authentication in a call management system.

A further object of the present invention is to incorporate a passive RFdevice for use in authentication in a call management system.

Another object of the present invention is to incorporate a neutral RFdevice for use in authentication in a call management system.

Still another object of the present invention is to incorporate advancedsoftware incorporating at least a monitoring module and an accountingmodule.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the present invention can be obtained byreference to the preferred embodiment and alternate embodiments setforth in the illustrations of the accompanying drawings. Although theillustrated embodiments are merely exemplary of systems for carrying outthe present invention, both the organization and method of operation ofthe invention, in general, together with further objectives andadvantages thereof, may be more easily understood by reference to thedrawings and the following description. The drawings are not intended tolimit the scope of this invention, which is set forth with particularityin the claims as appended or as subsequently amended, but merely toclarify and exemplify the invention. For a more complete understandingof the present invention, reference is now made to the followingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic representation of the call management systemof the present system configured to operate on a wide area network(WAN).

FIG. 2A depicts a schematic representation of the call managementsystem's hardware, specifically directed to the central electronicswitchboard device wherein a single electronic switchboard device isutilized.

FIG. 2B is a flow diagram showing the process by which an inmate firstenters the system and records a speech segment representing the inmate'sname.

FIG. 2C is a flow diagram showing the process utilized by the systemaccording to the present invention to identify and verify an inmateattempting to place a telephone call, where the system prompts theinmate for a PIN and a sample of the inmate's speech.

FIG. 3 depicts a detailed schematic representation of the StationInterface Subsystem (SIS) of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 4 depicts a detailed schematic representation of the callprocessing control card (CPC) of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 5 depicts a detailed schematic representation of the DigitalInterface Subsystem (DIS) of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 6 depicts a detailed schematic representation of the digital T1interface card (TLC) of FIG. 2A and FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 depicts a detailed schematic representation of the datacommunications control card (DCC) of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 8 depicts a detailed schematic representation of the system memorycard (SMC) of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 9 depicts a detailed schematic representation of the concentratormemory card (CMC) of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 10 depicts a sample class of service menu for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 11 depicts a sample authorized maintenance interface screen for usewith software contained in the call management system of the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 depicts a sample telephone location maintenance screen for usewith software contained in the call management system of the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 depicts a sample facility number control screen for use withsoftware contained in the call management system of the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 depicts a sample telephone number control screen for use withsoftware contained in the call management system of the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 depicts a sample default maintenance screen for use withsoftware contained in the call management system of the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 depicts a sample multiple telephone list update screen for usewith software contained in the call management system of the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 depicts a sample calls in progress screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 18 depicts a sample monitor calls in progress screen for use withsoftware contained in the call management system of the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 depicts a sample manual financial transaction screen for usewith software contained in the call management system of the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 depicts a sample enable/disable telephone screen for use withsoftware contained in the call management system of the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 depicts a sample user manager screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 22 depicts a sample security level access screen for use withsoftware contained in the call management system of the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 depicts a sample user information screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 24 depicts a sample account screen for use with software containedin the call management system of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 25 depicts a sample financial history screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 26 depicts a sample call records screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 27 depicts a sample telephone list screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 28 depicts a sample call limit status screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 29 depicts a sample access control screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 30 depicts a sample call detail screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 31 depicts a sample spy player screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 32 depicts a sample “text scanner” selection screen for use withsoftware contained in the call management system of the preferentialembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 33 depicts a sample query result screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 34 depicts a sample remote spy screen for use with softwarecontained in the call management system of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 35 depicts a sample account telephone number list report for usewith software contained in the call management system of the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 36 depicts a schematic view of an alternate embodiment of thepresent invention wherein a second electronic switchboard device isconnected in parallel within the call management system to handleadditional trunk line capacity and overflow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As required, a detailed illustrative embodiment of the present inventionis disclosed herein. However, techniques, systems and operatingstructures in accordance with the present invention may be embodied in awide variety of forms and modes, some of which may be quite differentfrom those in the disclosed embodiment. Consequently, the specificstructural and functional details disclosed herein are merelyrepresentative, yet in that regard, they are deemed to afford the bestembodiment for purposes of disclosure and to provide a basis for theclaims herein, which define the scope of the present invention. Thefollowing presents a detailed description of a preferred embodiment aswell as alternate embodiments such as a simpler embodiment or morecomplex embodiments for alternate devices of the present invention.

Referring first to FIG. 1, shown is a call management system 101configured to operate in a WAN (Wide Area Network) according to thepresent invention. A plurality of user telephones 102, wherein theactual number of telephones depends on the desired capacity of theinstitution call system, are incorporated into a telephone bank 103 andare connected to an electronic switchboard device 105. It is preferredthat telephone bank 103 may be centrally located within a facility toallow for centralized monitoring. However, it is foreseeable thattelephone bank 103 may be located at a multitude of locations internalor external to a facility to allow for efficient monitoring. Each usertelephone 102 is equipped with biometric sensing device 109, such as aretinal scanner, fingerprint reader, etc., or any combination ofbiometric devices, so that the acquired biometric data can be used foruser authentication. Alternatively, for efficiency, a single biometricsensing device 109 may be employed for a multitude of user telephones102. Additionally, each telephone may incorporate RF receiver 107 and RFtransmitter 108 to provide RF signals for authentication purposes. Inthis scenario, it is foreseeable that each user is be required to wearan RF transmitter 108 device to transmit radio waves to the RF receiver107. RF receiver 107 is integral to telephone bank 103 or may be remoteto telephone bank 103. Each RF transmitter 108 may be uniquely encodedto a specific authorized user. The encoded signal for RF transmitter 108may be altered on an intermittent basis depending on the securitydesired at the institution. RF transmitter 108 may be incorporated intoa wristband, ankle band, or any other like device. It is foreseeablethat RF transmitter 108 may be semi-permanently or permanently attachedto a user's person in any manner. Electronic switchboard device 105regulates calls and connects them to the proper outgoing trunk line 111.Trunk line 111 may consist of a multitude of connections to any numberof local, long distance, or international telephone service providers.The number of trunk lines 111 depends on the outgoing capacity desiredby the institution. In addition, trunk lines 111 may be analog, digital,or any other type of trunk lines not yet contemplated. Electronicswitchboard device 105 further incorporates an integrated channel bank,allowing calls to be processed over either analog or digital trunks asrequired by the call management system 101. Specifically, when one trunkline 111 is occupied and handling an outgoing communication, electronicswitchboard device 105 automatically accesses an alternate trunk linethe handle the outgoing communication. If all trunk lines on the systemare in use, the call may be routed to an alternate system (notdepicted). For example, electronic switchboard device 105 may beinterconnected to a multitude of switchboards to allow for expansion ofthe system to meet the capacity desired by the institution. A crosspoint switch integrated into electronic switchboard device 105 may alsoaccomplish this routing.

Multiple processors may also be incorporated into the architecture. Thisallows call processing even after parallel component failure. Thearchitecture also provides for a sharing of the load between processors,which eliminates system overload during extremely busy periods. Themultiple processors enable the system to handle large volumes of callsat any time, and to ensure system integration.

Additionally, electronic switchboard device 105 performs the voiceprompts heard by the inmate and the recipient of the call allowing theparties to respond to the menu selections. For example, before eachtelephone call is placed, preferably, the user of the system is requiredto provide a personal identification number (PIN) and a speech sampleused to verify the identity of the user. Electronic switchboard device105 prompts the user to provide these identifications and receives theresponses (DTMF, and spoken) from the user. Electronic switchboarddevice 105 tests outgoing trunk lines as calls are placed and digitizestelephone audio for recording and/or biometric voice identificationpurposes. If no dial tone is present, one of trunk lines 111 may betaken out of service for a pre-programmed amount of time formaintenance. These capabilities are pre-programmed into the device'sfirmware. However, it is foreseeable that software and software upgradesmay provide these services in addition to other services useful in thepresent invention.

A central site server 113 interfaces within the telephone call system101 via a first serial port 115. In the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, an RS-232 serial port is employed for theinterference connection. However, it is foreseeable that other types ofserial ports 115 commonly known in the art may be utilized. Serial port115 may also be comprised of a direct hardware connection or may consistof a series of ports and connecting means commonly known in the art forconnecting electronic devices. Serial port 115 is designed to allowfirmware driven systems, such as electronic switchboard device 105, tointerface with software-based systems, such as a PC designed systemoperating as a site server. All inmate and call information is routedthrough central site server 113. At central site server 113, user callinformation is digitized for efficient data transfer and efficientrecord keeping. Central site server 113 stores at least each user'sfinancial transaction data. It is preferred that central site server 113also stores the digitized audio used for voice prompts as well as eachuser's call restrictions, PIN, biometric verification data, etc.However, depending on the memory requirements, numerous site servers maybe employed. It is foreseeable that older archived data may also bestored on an integral or a remote computer system database (not shown)or kept on additional storage devices on the central site server 113.Preferably, the voiced data, PIN, etc., are stored in a database on thecentral server 113. The database may be any commercially availabledatabase such as Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL server, an Oracledatabase, an IBM database, etc.

Connected to central site server 113 via one of serial ports 115 isaudio recorder 117. In the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, an RS-232 serial port is employed for the interferenceconnection. However, it is foreseeable that other types of serial ports115 commonly known in the art may be utilized. Serial port 115 may alsobe comprised of a direct hardware connection or may consist of a seriesof ports and connecting means commonly known in the art for connectingelectronic devices. Audio recorder 117 may either be a stand-alone unitor incorporated into the hardware of central site server 113, orincorporated into other hardware devices within the system. Although itis preferred in the present embodiment that audio recorder 117 isdigital, it is foreseeable that other known types of recording devices,as well as those not yet contemplated, may be employed in accordancewith the teachings of the present invention. Audio recorder 117 recordsthe conversations performed under the direction of telephone callmanagement system 101. Audio recorder 117 may be activated for each callunless the number being called is specifically flagged for no recordingor monitoring, such as calls to or from an attorney. Furthermore, audiorecorder 117 can monitor multiple telephone lines simultaneously, usinga different recorder channel number for each of trunk lines 111. Therecorder channel number further enables the institution's staff toidentify the call record they wish to review associated with a desiredoutgoing telephone call. Each user telephone 102 is further associatedwith a station identification number which allows the staff of theinstitution to identify the particular user telephone 102 a call wasinitiated and conducted from. It is foreseeable that the embodimentdescribed herein supports up to 32 inmate telephone stations 103 and 24trunk lines 111. However, multiple units 105 may be configured to expandthe system to meet the capacity demand for the institution. Audiorecorder 117 is also used to receive voice samples from the users foridentification and authorization purposes. Specifically, when an inmatefirst “subscribes” he or she must state his or her name. Voicerecognitions software stored on central site server 113 verifies thatthe user spoke his or her name. Alternatively, central site server 113may be equipped with specialized hardware for receiving and identifyingvoice samples. Voice identification solutions are known in the art andavailable from companies such as Nuance, Buytel, Veritel, IntegratedWave Technologies, Intervoice Brite, etc.

Central site server 113 is controlled by software associated withadministrative workstation 120. In the preferred embodiment,administrative workstation 120 is connected to central site server 113via a local area network (LAN). However, it is foreseeable that othertypes of electronic connections may be employed. The administrativeworkstation's 120 software can modify call restrictions for individualusers in addition to all telecommunication activity of the institution.Additionally, the software can also track a user's commissaryinformation, such as the account balance if a debit system is beingused. Furthermore, depending on the needs of an institution, thedatabase may perform other functions.

Commissary workstation 121 is used in conjunction with administrativeworkstation 120 to manage and record a user's financial transactions. Inthe preferred embodiment; commissary workstation 121 and administrativeworkstation 120 are connected to central site server 113 via a LAN.However, other known connections, or connections not yet contemplatedmay be utilized. Commissary workstation 121 can also record otherfinancial information, such as the total amount spent on collect callsby each inmate, amount spent on debit calls, the total net financialtransactions for each user, etc.

Shadow workstation 123 and investigative workstation 125 are alsoemployed in the present embodiment. Shadow workstation 123 andinvestigative workstation 125 are connected via the local area networklinked to central site server 113 in the present embodiment. Shadowworkstation 123 utilizes a live operator to monitor telephone callswithout detection. It is foreseeable that this function may be performedby software integrated with shadow workstation 123. The shadowworkstation 123 software provides a means for patching into a call usingcircuitry without alerting the user or called party to the operator'spresence. If the operator finds that a call being monitored issuspicious, the operator may manually (or by using software) activatethe audio recorder 117 to record a portion of an active telephone call.The called party's number may also be flagged in the inmate's profile(stored on administrative workstation 120 or central site server 113) toprovide future monitoring of calls from the specific user to thespecific called party.

Alternatively, software located on central site server 113 orinvestigative workstation 125 may be used to passively monitor calls.For example, when certain key words or phrases are spoken, voicerecognition software may activate audio recorder 117 via electronicmeans and alert the proper authorities that a violation has occurred.The same voice recognition solution that is utilized in verifying auser's speech sample (i.e., that a user provides his or her name whensubscribing to the system) may be used to identify such key words andphrases.

Furthermore, investigative workstation 125 controls other monitoring andsecurity features interfaced in call system. For example, investigativeworkstation 125 can be to access past conversations stored on audiorecorder 117. Software on investigative workstation 125 may also beconfigured to detect if a third party is present during a user'sconversation. Investigative workstation 125 or central site server 113may also contain voice recognition software to aid in calling or calledparty voice authentication. Administrative workstation 120, shadowworkstation 123, investigative workstation 125, and commissaryworkstation 121 may alternatively be combined into one or several units.Furthermore, administrative workstation 120, shadow workstation 123,investigative workstation 125, and commissary workstation 121 may beintegral within the central site server. It is also foreseeable that anycomponent may be alternately located off site from the other apparati ofthe present invention.

Referring next to FIG. 2A, shown is an internal hardware diagram ofelectronic switchboard device 105 of the preferred embodiment of thetelephone call management system depicted in FIG. 1. Stations equippedby electronic switchboard device 105 can access all trunk lines 111accessed by electronic switchboard device 105 through a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN). Connections between trunk lines 111 andelectronic switchboard 105 are supported by cross-point-switch matrixcard (CSC) 201 in each unit and a set of associated unit-to-unit voicebusses 202.

In the present embodiment of the call system, a series of bilingualvoice prompts are provided. These voice prompts guide the user throughplacing a call through the telephone call management system.Pre-recorded voice prompts instruct the user how to place the call andannounce the call to the called party, providing identification ofcaller and location of call. These voice prompts may be digitallyproduced and presented in a concatenated form as is presently known inthe art or other common form in the art. The voice prompts may bepre-recorded by the institution and retained in an integrated or remotedatabase, or may be recorded in any form as is known in the art.Furthermore, these voice prompts can be played in the language specifiedby the user's profile, the language specified by the institution, or ina multitude of languages.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are flow diagrams that show the prompts provided to auser to enable the user to subscribe to the system (FIG. 2B) and toprompt the user for identification information before any telephone callis placed (FIG. 2C). Referring first to FIG. 2B, depicted is a flowdiagram showing the process by which an inmate first enters the systemand records a speech segment representing the inmate's name. When a newinmate is to be entered into the system (step 233), the system assigns apersonal identification number (PIN) to the inmate (step 235). This PINis stored with other inmate identification information such as theinmate's name, the inmate's cell location, the inmate's address, theinmate's social security number, etc. (step 237). This information isstored in a database or equivalent for subsequent retrieval (step 239).Although the database can be located at any point in the system, in thepreferred embodiment, the database is stored on central site server 113.

When a new inmate is entered into the system, in addition to assigning aPIN and storing identification information for the inmate, the systemalso stores a sample of the inmate's speech (step 241). In the preferredembodiment of the present invention, this sample speech should be theinmate stating his or her name. Although other speech segments can berecorded, it is important to require the inmate to record a sample ofspeech that is not easily repeated. Preferably, audio recorder 117 isutilized to record the utterance of speech avoiding the need for anyadditional hardware to incorporate voice recognition as part of thesystem of the present invention. The recording can then be stored withthe database in any standard recording format (.wav, .mp3, .wma, etc.).

It is known in the art to utilize speaker dependent voice recognitionalgorithms, software, hardware, programs, etc. to identify a speaker.However, it is also known in the art that such systems can easily bedefeated if the sample of speech can easily be mimicked. For example, aspeaker identification program may fail to distinguish a speaker if thesample of speech is simply a whistle or a blow into a microphone.Therefore, the system of the present invention preferably ensures thatwhen the inmate is prompted to record a speech segment (step 241), thatthe inmate speaks his name.

The system of the present invention utilizes speaker independent voicerecognition software to automatically ensure that the inmate hasprovided a valid speech segment (i.e., his or her name) (step 243). Asis known in the art, speaker independent voice recognition software isnow commonly available as off-the-shelf software for computers thatutilize standard operating systems (e.g., Windows, UNIX, Macintosh,etc.). This software includes voice recognition software modules thatcan easily be integrated into existing system software. Therefore, thevoice recognition software can be readily installed on central siteserver 113 and can be incorporated into the system of the presentinvention. Of course, alternative speaker independent voice recognitionssolutions (e.g., hardware solutions such as integrated circuits (les) ordigital signal processors (DSPs)) can be utilized without departing fromthe spirit of the present invention.

Regardless of the specific implementation, the speaker independent voicerecognition module receives the speech segment spoken by the inmate (andcaptured by audio recorder 117) (step 243) and outputs datarepresentative of the words spoken by the inmate (step 245). The wordsspoken by the inmate are compared with the stored identification data toverify that the speaker indeed spoke his or her name (step 247). If thespeaker did not state his or her name, the inmate may be given a secondattempt (step 251). If it is already the inmate's second attempt, anaccount for that inmate can be denied (step 253), and the sample speechspoken by the inmate can be forwarded to site personnel for manualanalysis (step 255).

If, however, the inmate speaks his or her name, as verified by thespeaker independent voice recognition module, then the sample speech isstored in the database with the inmate's other information (PIN,identification number, cell location, etc.) (step 257). The initialsubscription of a user may also include receipt of biometric information(e.g., thumbprint, retinal scan etc.) to be retained by the call systemfor future authorization (not shown in FIG. 2B).

After a user provides the necessary verification information, a userprofile can be established including restricted call number, amountstored in a debit account, call time restrictions, and other suchinformation. The user profile may contain lists of valid telephoneservices and types of screening used for that specific user. Theinformation may be displayed to a user via an associated display means,may be electronically provided via a verbal call prompt or may be hiddenfrom the user.

Turning next to FIG. 2C, depicted is the flow of prompts and callerresponses to validate a user each time the user wishes to operate thetelephone call management system and place a telephone call (step 257).Initially, the system prompts the user to enter a PIN (step 259). Asdescribed with respect to FIG. 2B, each user is assigned a unique PINwhen subscribed to the system. Generally, the user can provide the PINusing DTMF tones (i.e., pressing numbers on the telephone keypad) or byspeaking the numbers or letters that comprise the PIN. The systemverifies the PIN as a valid PIN (step 261) and retrieves thecorresponding identification information for the user (step 263). If thePIN is not valid, the system may give the user a second attempt to entera valid PIN (step 265). Any subsequent attempts may be denied (step267).

If a valid PIN is entered, the system next prompts the user to state hisor her name (step 269). The user's spoken sample is received andcompared with the stored utterance of the inmate's name (step 271). Ifthe two samples match (i.e., the speaker dependent voice identificationsolution utilized by the present invention determines the samples wereprovided by the same person), the inmate is verified (step 273). Ifthere is no match, the user may be provided with a second attempt (step275). Any subsequent attempts may be blocked (step 267). However, if auser is verified (step 273) the user will be able to use the telephonemanagement system of the present invention in accordance with the user'sdesignated rights and restrictions.

Referring back to FIG. 2A, the user's transmission receipt paths can becontrolled during the call processing, thus providing control of theuser's communications with interactive call progress prompts andresponses, network call progress information and tones and the calledparty during call announcement and acceptance. For example, after thecall is outpulsed to the public switched telephone network (PSTN), theuser can listen to normal network provided tones, announcements, callanswer, and caller acceptance. However, verbal transmissions from thecalling party may only be heard by the called party.

Multiple trunk lines 111 are supported by electronic switchboard device105. In addition, different routing to the PSTN may be assigned acrossmultiple trunk groups. Use of multiple trunk groups may be required orpreferred due to lower network access charges, routing facilities andusage costs, (i.e. local, international, long distance debit, longdistance collect, etc.).

In addition, electronic switchboard device 105 can provide digitanalysis based on dialed number identification system (“DNIS”), otherdialed digits, etc., and can route a call via the appropriate trunklines 111. Trunk lines 111 may interface the network on direct digitalT1 circuits, analog circuits, or other like network interfaces.

The distributed architecture of the hardware and associated software ofthe electronic switchboard device 105 comprises Station InterfaceSubsystem (SIS) 203, Call Processing Subsystem (CPS) 205, DigitalInterface Subsystem (DIS) 207, Data Communication Subsystem (DCS) 209,and Concentrator Communication Subsystem (CCS) 212.

Station interface subsystem (SIS) 203 provides switched connections tocall processing subsystem (CPS) 205. CPS 205 controls digit collection,interactive voice prompts, call screening, network access, etc., duringthe inmate calling process. Specifically, during the call routingprocess, if trunk lines 111 in the primary trunk group are all occupied,a variation of call treatments may be implemented. For example, the callmay be routed to a secondary trunk group, a voice message may be played,a congestion busy signal may be provided, etc.

In the preferred embodiment, SIS 203 contains four main componentsincluding SIC (Station Interface Card) 203 which provides power to alltelephones, CSC (Cross-Point Switch) 201 which routes telephone callsfrom telephone bank 203 to the proper outgoing trunk line 111, LIC (LineInterface Card) 215 which converts analog telephone signals to a formatcompatible with the call management system, and Spybox 211 which is usedfor audio monitoring of user telephone calls. The basic function of SIS203 is to detect and process off/on-hook call service requests from thetelephones located at inmate telephone bank 103. SIS 203 also CO1U1 ectsthe line to an available call processor card (CPC) 210 port forprocessing the inmate call. In addition, SIS 203 provides switched audioconnections to Spybox 211.

The originating user off-hook requires connecting station interface card(SIC) 213 voice paths via cross-point switch card (CSC) 201 to lineinterface card (LIC) 215. Voice path connections are switched andcontrolled by CSC 201. The selected LIC 215 outbound port connects theline to CPC port 210 for processing the call. Dial tone is provided tothe inmate when CPC 210 is connected and ready for the inmate to enterdigits.

Call processing system (CPS) 205 controls all routing and subsystem,interaction processes required by the call management system. CPS 205contains one or more call processing cards (CPCs) 210 which providevoice prompts to users and receives and record DTMF and voice responses.Thus, CPS 205 is used extensively during the initial login wherein apotential user provides a PIN and a speech sample. Specifically, CPS 205(specifically CPCs 210) provide prompts instructing the user to providea PIN, and if the PIN is indicative of an authorized user, a speechsample for voice verification. CPS 205 then receives a user's responseto the prompt for a PIN (preferably in the form of DTMF tones), and theuser's spoken response to the prompt for a speech sample.

Station voice paths switched through the SIS subsystem 203 are connectedto call processing card (CPC) 210. In the present embodiment, CPCs 210have four ports per card. However, additional ports per card may beutilized in accordance with the objectives of the present invention. Forexample, in the preferred embodiment, call processing subsystem (CPS)205 can accommodate up to six CPCs per call system unit allowing eachelectronic switchboard device to support up to twenty-four callprocessing ports.

CPS 205 can accommodate multiple CPCs 210 which allows system redundancyand system availability. Real-time call processing loads are distributedacross the number of configured CPCs 210. In the preferred embodiment,the subsystem is configured with a minimum of two CPCs 210 perelectronic switchboard device. For example, it is preferred that aminimum of two CPCs 210 are utilized as a fault protection. If one CPCfails, call processing would continue on the other active CPCs 210.

Call processing cards (CPCs) 210 support the specialized call processingfeatures and controls required for an institution telephone service.When a user originated call is connected to CPC 210, a dial tone isreturned to the user. The dial tone indicates that the call system isready for the caller to enter digits. During the call process, CPC 210interacts between other subsystems and the call, thereby supporting thenecessary system call sequence control and prompts for completing thecall.

CPCs 210 collect dial tone multi-frequency (DTMF) digit information, orlike information, entered by the user and provides pre-recorded voiceprompts stored in system memory card (SMC) 227 delivered to the user viaan audio record/playback buss. CPCs 210 connect the audio/recordplayback to the user telephone. Interactive voice prompts instruct theuser to enter a series of identification and/or authenticationinformation. For example, a user may be required to provide voiceinformation for authentication or recording, DTMF information responsessuch as a PIN, biometric information for authentication, or provide RFdata. Prompt responses are detected and recorded via CPCs 210. Biometricresponses are recorded via separate hardware in the call system using avoice buss that couples to the DIS. Voice responses are played on theaudio record/playback buss to SMC 227 for processing. Processed voicesignals are digitized and stored in memory (not shown). Once theoriginating call is processed and approved, CPC 210 will either connectthe call to its associated network trunk lines 111 and outpulse the callor otherwise be released from the call so that the call can be connectedby SIS 203 to an alternate CPC 210 for outpulsing the call. If theuser's call is not approved (e.g., if the user's speech does not matchthe stored speech sample provided by the user during the user's initialsubscription to the system), a special call treatment is returned to theuser. Special call treatments can comprise voice prompts, busy signals,etc. For example, these special call treatments generally provideinformation concerning why the call could not be completed andprocessed.

When the call is outpulsed and answered, CPC 210 provides called partyprompts to announce the call, which may include asking the calling andcalled party for voice verification. The called party may also have toenter a PIN to be authenticated. The system of the present inventionsupports subscribing called parties. When a potential called partysubscribes to the system a similar process is used as when a usersubscribes (see FIG. 2B), and a similar process can be used to verifythe identity of the called party (see FIG. 2C). Call connections aremonitored by the CPC 210 for the duration of the call. This allows CPC210 to detect answer, call acceptance, switch-hook flashes, disconnectand provide other supervisory signals. SMDR data (or other like callrecord information) is collected by CPC 210 and buffered in SMC 227.

The CPC hardware is laid out on a PC board design that supports twoplug-in daughter boards. The main PC board is identified as the linecard. The larger daughter board is identified as the line card extensionboard. The smaller board of the two is identified as the CLICK board.

Digital interface subsystem (DIS) 207 converts analog voice informationto a digital format. Integrated analog/digital conversion card (IDC-MSI)217 handles analog to digital (AID) conversion for the telephone callmanagement system. Digital T1 interface card TLC 219 routes calls to CPU223. CPU 223 contains software which controls user access to thetelephone call management system. CPU 223 can also store all financialand authentication data. Furthermore, CPU can be capable of processingany other data as may be required within the system.

Digital interface subsystem (DIS) 207 provides an integrated digital T1network interface capability for the call system. DIS 207 interfacescall processing system (CPS) 205 lines/trunk ports. DIS 207 formats thedigital voice signals into a 24 channel digital T1 interface. Inaddition, DIS 207 processes user inquiries and performs account updatetransactions via the LAN. DIS 207 can include an integratedanalog/digital conversion card (IDC-MSI) 217, digital T1 interface card(TLC) 219, PCM extension buss (PEB) 221, and a digital subsystem CPUcontroller card (CPU) 223.

The integrated analog/digital conversion card (IDC-MSI) 217 is acommercial design commonly employed in the art. The design is a proventechnology and is utilized in a large number of switching applications.

This design is based on a Dialogic® modular station interface (MSI)board or other similarly designed boards. A PC-AT form factor board wasdeveloped by Dialogic® to support integrated digital switchingfunctions. The board is compatible with PCM extension buss (PEB) 221based designs. Furthermore, the board is compatible with the NorthAmerican (1.544 Mb/s transmission rate, u-law PCM coding) and European(2.048 Mb/s transmission rate, A-law PCM coding) digital interfacestandards.

The Dialogic® MSI board consists of a motherboard that can accommodateup to six base modules or two add-on modules. The six-module versionsupports four analog port interfaces per module. The two add-on moduleversion supports twelve analog port interfaces per module. Each versionfully configured supports up to 24 inbound analog ports. These analogports are connected to distribution blocks for grading to the CPC'sline-side interface ports. The CPC and IDC blocks are used forcross-connection the CPC ports 240 to the IDC ports.

Data Communication Subsystem (DCS) 209 controls data communicationsbetween multiple call management systems. DCS 209 contains datacommunication card (DCC) 225, system memory card (SMC) 227, and PCInterconnect Card (PCI-1) 221.

Multiple unit systems require communications between units. This issupported by equipping one of the units with a communicationsconcentrator subsystem (CCS) 212. CCS 212 contains system concentratorcommunication card (SCC) 229, concentrator memory card (CMC) 231, and asecond PC interconnect card (PCI-2) 233.

Completed calls to trunk lines 111 require that caller identificationand instructions be provided to the called party. A variety ofprogrammed voice prompts can be used to announce the call and toinstruct the called party. Typical voice prompts include informationregarding where the call originated from, the type of call (i.e.,collect/prepaid), how to accept or decline the call, how to deny futurecalls from the same caller, etc. For example, if the user (John Doe)places a collect call, the message “You have a collect call from JohnDoe. Dial -55- to accept the call or hang-up to decline the call,” maybe played. If the called party enters positive acceptance, the caller isprovided a transmission path.

Throughout the duration of the call, the system monitors the calledparty line for switch hook flashes. Detection of these flashes mayindicate potential three-way calling/conference feature activation bythe called party. If a hook flash is detected, the system may beprogrammed to limit the call to a certain time duration, and/or to playa warning tone or play an announcement to both parties thirty secondsprior to disconnect.

In addition, design features prevent the user from reaching liveoperators or the ability to chain dial. Each call process requires thata specific disconnect duration to the network is completed. New callattempts are forced through a rigid call state sequence and screening,which includes a number of authentication means such as a PIN, biometricinformation, and/or RF authentication.

A number of features are provided to aid in call screening. Each userprofile may contain a list of telephone numbers to which calls may beplaced. Certain exchanges or prefixes, such as 1-800, may also beblocked. Other options, such as the number of calls allowed, callminutes allowed, or restriction to specific forms of call payment may bespecified.

Concentration communication subsystem (CCS) 212 is responsible forsupporting communications between the call system units and to theservers. CCS 212 includes a system concentrator communication card (SCC)229, a concentrator memory card (CMC) 231, and a second PC interconnectcard (PCI-2) 233.

CCS 211 is configured using the same basic hardware cards as utilized inthe data communication card system. However, each memory card isindependent and operates under different software systems.

Call detail records (CDRs) collected in the CPCs 210 are typicallycommunicated to DCS 209 over the CPC COM port disposed within callprocessing system (CPS) 205. The CDRs are then buffered in SMC 227. TheCDRs may also be transmitted to CCS 212 and buffered in CMC 231. CMC 231may act as an interim backup for the CDR records. When requested, thebuffered CDR's are also transmitted via CCS 212 to the server(s).

Each CDR transmitted and acknowledged by the server is flagged by thememory cards. Servers use a polling method during low traffic periods toupload CDRs from the memory cards. During the next polling sequence,only the CDRs that have not been acknowledged are transmitted to updatethe server CDR database. Basically, CDRs may at one point be buffered ina DCS memory card (SMC 227), a CCS memory card (CMC 227), or a serverdatabase (located in central site server (113 from FIG. 1). Thiscapability enhances CDR reliability and recovery.

Referring next to FIG. 3, shown are station interface card (SIS) 203 andits four main components, namely station interface card (SIC) 213,cross-point switch card (CSC) 201, line interface card (LIC) 215, andspy remote audio interface module (RAI) 335. As described above in FIG.2A, SIS 203 is integrated within electronic-switchboard device 105 andprovides a connection point between telephone bank 103 and DataCommunication Subsystem 209. Generally, SIS 203 detects the on-hookstatus of user telephones and provides the appropriate response signal(e.g., dial tone, busy signal, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 3, the first main component of SIS 203 is stationinterface card (SIC) 213. In the present invention, each user telephonein telephone bank 103 is connected to the system via a two wire(tip/ring) cable pair used for each communication line. These lines areconnected to individual subscriber line interface circuits (SLICs) 301on SIC 213. In this embodiment, SIC 213 supports 32 SLICs 301 per SIC213. One SIC 213 is equipped per electronic switchboard deviceconfigured in the call processing system.

SIC 213 has subscriber line interface circuits 301 to connect andprovide power to user telephones 103. Individual switch-hook detectcircuits 305 monitor the telephone lines for on/off-hook states.Generally, the normal line state is either idle or on-hook. However,detection of an off-hook state represents a new call service request.

SIC 213 converts the 32 balanced 600 ohm two wire line circuits into 32individual single wire two-way voice busses. The 32 voice busses connectto [A] point array 313 and [C] X-point array 315 on CSC 201. Busses thenmay be connected via CSC 201 to idle CPC ports 240 for call processing.When a valid connection is established, the CPC returns a dial tone totelephones located within user telephone bank 103.

Calls originating from SIC 213 that cannot be connected to idle pathsgenerate a busy tone from generator 317. CSC Z8 control processor 309selects the send busy circuit in the SIC 317 (via circuitry notdepicted). SIC 213 connects the busy tone signal 319 to a telephone inphone bank 103. When the telephone disconnects, the circuit is releasedand the telephone is ready for a new call origination.

CSC Z8 control processor 309 on CSC 201 continuously queries switch hookmemory detect circuit 305 to detect new off-hook service requests. Whena permanent off-hook or an invalid connection is detected, CSC Z8control processor 309 enables send busy signal 317. This places thestation line in a permanent or lockout busy state. The condition may becleared when the telephone or faulty off-hook status is restored. When acondition is restored, the station line can originate new calls.

The second main component of SIS 203 is cross-point switch card (CSC)201, which provides a 32 by 24 cross point switching matrix forconnecting stations to call processors and network trunks. In addition,it also performs switch connections for Spybox 211 monitor access.

CSC 201 supports an automatic reroute feature. Connections to CPC ports240 during the call process may be switched to a second CPC port. Thisreroute may be required to access an idle trunk for a different calltype route. This feature allows call connections to be rerouted in thesystem to pre-designated call treatment types or alternate trunks.

Upon initialization, CSC Z8 control processor 309 reads and loadsprograms from onboard E-PROM based program memory 307. Duringinitialization, CSC Z8 control processor 309 performs subsystem reset321. At this point, CSC Z8 control processor 309 performs hardwarediagnostics and data validation. Configuration control information issent to the Data Communication Subsystem (DCS) 209 concerning thein-service station location addresses which are mapped into programmemory 307. Under control of CSC Z8 control processor 309, addressdecoders decode the on/off states. The CSC 201 decodes the addresses toselect [A] X-Point array 313 or [C] X-Point array 315X-Address locationfor that individual station.

During operation, onboard watch dog time (WDT) 323 monitors theprocessor operation and sanity. WDT 323 will automatically reset thehardware if any abnormal condition would prevent the recovery of CSC Z8control processor 309. Reset 321 then causes the subsystem tore-initialize and return to a normal in-service state. In the case of aninvalid on/off hook state or connection, CSC Z8 control processor 309reset logic can restore the call connection to an idle state, set busyconnect for permanent off-hook stations, or reset LIC connect relay 325.LIC connect relay 325 may be enabled or reset under control of the CSCZ8 central processor 309 to connect or release the CPC port. Release ofthe CPC port will disconnect the forward connection to the network.

In the present embodiment, concentration may be introduced by CSC 201between its 32 station ports and 24 LIC ports. The level ofconcentration per unit, provided all 32 stations and 24 trunks areassigned, is 32:24. This would limit the number of simultaneous callsper unit to 24. Concentration levels may be varied by the assignment ofstations and trunk lines across the equipped unit. For example, theselevels can be 1:1 for a non-concentrated configuration. It isforeseeable that alternate concentration levels may be provideddepending on the number of stations and trunk lines utilized in thetelephone call management system.

Still referring to FIG. 3, [A] X-point array 313 provides a 32 by 24matrix. This array cross connects the 32 SIC 213 voice busses to any ofthe 24 LIC 215 voice busses. The 24 LIC outbound circuits are connectedto individual CPC ports 240 in the unit's call processing subsystem(CPS) 205.

When CSC Z8 central processor 309 detects a new call origination, theoutbound 24 voice busses on [A] cross-point array 313 are selectedfirst. The first choice routes are to the CPC ports 240 within the sameunit. Secondary routes to CPC ports 240 in other companion units areconnected through the [C] X-Point array 315.

[B] X-point array 327 provides a 16 by 24 matrix. Eight of the sixteenvoice busses represent the inbound unit/unit OUT and unit/unit INbusses. These busses are used to switch station connections to and fromother companion units. Outbound access to the busses is via [C] X-Pointarray 315. Unit/unit inbound access to the 24 LIC 215 voice busses isthrough [B] X-Point array 327.

The other eight busses are unit/unit IN busses, commonly referred to ashalf busses. These busses support inbound voice connections for Spybox211 monitor connections. Monitor access is provided through [B] X-Pointarray 327, establishing the monitor connection on the trunk side of thecall path. A set of dipswitches (16 switches) on CSC 201 provides theoption to connect or disconnect the unit/unit voice busses.

The processor's serial COM port (located on the processor) provides datacommunications between CSC 201 and data communication subsystem (DCS)209. COM port 329 supports inter-processor communications between unitsfor call connections and unit/unit call control. In addition, in anoffline mode, the port may be used to support external maintenance anddebug access.

A third main component of SIS 203 is line interface card (LIC) 215,which interfaces SIS 203 to call processor subsystem (CPS) 205. LIC 215converts the 24 outbound voice busses from CSC 201 to 24 (balanced 600ohm) two-wire interface circuits. These circuits are connected toindividual CPC ports 240. The CPC ports 240, under control of CSC Z8control processor 309, provide access for call processing and networktrunk lines.

Each of the 24 LIC inbound ports directly interface the voice buss fromCSC 201. The audio path conversion includes a balanced 600/600 ohmtransformer coupled circuit (not shown) and connect relay 325.

Connect relay 325 controls the seizure and the release of the associatedCPC port 240. When the relay circuit is enabled, the LIC port extends anoff-hook to CPC port 240. In a normal or release state LIC 215 extendson-hook status to CPC port 240. Control of the relay is performed by CSCZ8 control processor 309 address/data buss via I/O address decoder 331.A current detect circuit 333 output is read by CSC Z8 control processor309. Current detect circuit 333 monitors the loop current in theconnection to the CPC port. This permits CSC Z8 control processor 309 todetect the call path connect and disconnect status.

A coupled component of SIS 203 is Spybox card (SBC) 211, which supportsnon-intrusive access to monitor and record user calls. In the presentembodiment, the eight SBC inbound ports interface to the CSC X-pointsingle wire voice busses, which then convert the single wire technologyto a balanced 600 ohm two-wire tip and ring voice circuit. The eightoutbound two-wire ports connect to remote audio monitor devices. Monitoraccess in each unit is connected by X-point array [B] 327. Each monitorpath is cross connected to one of the 24 inbound voice paths to the LIC.

Spy channel access is connected through the [B] X-Point array 327. Theactual monitor connection is made at each unit's LIC inbound voice buss.Therefore, each monitor point connection is made at the trunk side ofthe telephone call.

The eight spy channel busses have access to a set of eight unit/unitvoice busses. These unit/unit buss connections provide access to othercompanion units in the system. The unit/unit busses connect to the [B]X-pt array 327 in each equipped unit.

The CSC Z8 control processor 309 controls activation of a spy channelconnection to an individual telephone call. A monitor request by aSpybox workstation routes a unique broadcast message to the call systemunits. The broadcast message is sent to each equipped CSC 201 via theCOM port. CSC 201 (with the actual telephone call) acknowledges thebroadcast message and then completes the monitor connection.

The eight inbound spy busses connect to line current detect circuit 333on SBC 211. This interface circuit converts the voice buss into a600/600 ohm balanced two-wire tip and ring line circuit. These linecircuits from SBC 211 connect to Remote Audio Interface (RAI) circuitmodule 335. Each SBC line circuit to RAI 335 has a line currentregulator and a line current detector circuit.

The line current regulator is enabled or disabled under control of CSCZ8 control processor 309. The line current regulator controls loopcurrent to RAI 335 when the monitor connection is established. The linecurrent detect circuit senses the loop current to RAI 335. Output of thedetect circuit is addressed and read by CSC Z8 control processor 309.This allows the processor to determine the RAI module line connectionstate.

The final component of SIS 203 is spy remote audio interface module(RAI) 335, which is a single port audio monitoring module. Each RAI 335uses line power from SBC 211 to detect an active monitor connection. Anisolation transformer connects the inmate audio to the monitor OUT andspeaker jack. RAI 335 can be placed at various monitor locations at theinmate facility. Each RAI 335 provides a control circuit for activatingthe recording device.

An isolation transformer provides a balanced 600 ohm tip and ringcircuit to the device for recording the inmate conversations. A ⅛″speaker T, R, and S stereo jack located on the module may be used tosupport an external speaker connection.

Now referring to FIG. 4, shown is a schematic diagram of call processingcard (CPC) 210. CPC 210 is an integral device located within theelectronic switchboard device. However, CPC 210 may be located externalto the electronic switchboard device while still performing the basicfunctions described herein. Call processing card processor 401 isinitialized from E-PROM based program memory 403 when the system powersup. Onboard watch dog time (WDT) 405 monitors sanity of the processor.Call processing card processor 401 will automatically try to recoverfrom abnormal hardware or software error conditions that affectprocessing. If this error state is persistent and call processing cardprocessor 401 is unable to recover, onboard WDT 405 will automaticallyforce reset call processing card processor 401. This will cause CPC 210to reinitialize and return to service. The onboard RAM supports realtime database access and is battery-backed for data integrity.

The LIC outbound ports connect to CPC telephone side ports 407. Thetelephone side port signal leads 450 are identified as T-out and R-out.

The LIC outbound ports extend a loop closure signal to the CPC 210. Thisinitiates CPC 210 seizure and connects the station voice path. CPC 210enables DTMF receivers 409 and returns a dial tone that confirmsoriginating access. This signals the system is ready for the system userto press digits on the telephone keypad. In addition, onboard tonegenerator 411, which is under control of the call processing cardprocessor 401, sends a dial tone to the station via the line interfacelogic.

CPC line interface logic design 413 includes both forward connectcircuit (FCR) 415 and second connect circuit (SCR) 417. Processing acall requires the station and line side paths be independentlycontrolled by call processing card control processor 401. This allowscall processing card control processor 401 to control transmit andreceive path information during the user call process.

After the initial seizure of CPC telephone side port 407, the stationand line side are split via FCR 415. Enabled DTMF receivers 409 detectthe information digits entered by the user. A typical dial plan allowedmay include 1+10 digits for debit account type calls terminated tonational numbers, 0+10 digits for collect type calls terminated tonational numbers, or any other foreseeable combination of digits.Biometric and/or voice verification may occur either before or afterDTMF tones have been entered.

Call processing card control processor 401 collects the digits enteredby the user and routes the digits to a database capable of providingdigit comparison. Digit analysis is performed to determine the call type(collect, debit, speed dial, national, international, etc.).

The call system may require users to enter a Personal IdentificationNumber (PIN). Any range of digits may be used. However, to handle mostinstitution requirements, the range of the PIN is one to nine digits orcharacters typically. Each number is unique to a user. The PIN may beused to index a discrete user file by the User Telephone Account Control(UTAC) server or an inmate telephone account control (ITAC). COM port419 on CPC 210 supports communications with the server via datacommunication control card (DCC) (i.e., 225 of FIG. 2A.). The CPCsubsystem design supports up to six COM ports, one for each CPC controlprocessor 401.

Bong tone 421 is played to the user after the digits are entered. Bongtone 421 signals the user that the system is in the auto attendant mode.In the auto attendant mode, interactive voice prompts will interface tothe user and guide the user through the calling process, possibly askingfor biometric authentication, and providing a means to interface theuser entered data to the call system.

Each CPC has audio record/playback logic 423 interfaced to four I/Obusses 425. I/O busses 425 connect to the call system voice memory card(SMC) (i.e., 227 of FIG. 2A.). Preferably, each of the four I/O busses425 is a single wire audio buss, although other configurations may beused. Each I/O buss 425 supports one of four CPC telephone side ports407. Audio record/playback logic 423 under control of CPC—processor 401permits individual record/playback on either audio I/O buss 425. Audiobuss 425 can be enabled to play or record on either the station and/orthe line side of the connection.

The telephone call management system of the preferred embodimentsupports playing voice prompts that guide a user through the callprocess. Audio record/playback logic 425 supports recording of theuser's name and the called party's name for later use in voice promptsand/or voice authentication functions. In addition, audiorecord/playback logic 425 supports playback of pre-recorded voiceannouncements to the called party when answered. Based on call type andthe user data profile, different voice prompt menus may be selectedaccording to the user's preferred language and other like options.

The interface logic's line side is open until CPC control processor 401is ready to extend the call. Line side ports interface and connecttoward the network. Port signal leads 408 are identified as T-in andR-in. Port signal leads 408 connect to either PSTN network analog trunkline 111 facilities or integrated analog/digital conversion card(IDC-MSI) (i.e., 217 of FIG. 2A, not shown) for direct digital T1network facilities.

A trunk group is determined during the digit analysis based on the dialplan. If the current CPC trunk interface is a member of the selectedtrunk group, the trunk can be seized. CPC processor 401 enables SCRcircuit 417 to seize the appropriate trunk circuit.

Each line side port may be either a loop or ground start operation.Ground start relay circuit 427, under control of CPC processor 401,provides the ground start feature.

When the CPC trunk interface is not in the trunk group selected, thecall must be switched to an alternate CPC path. The alternate CPC pathselection is initiated by message via COM port 419 to the DCC (i.e., 225of FIG. 2A, not shown).

DTMF senders 409 under control of CPC processor 401 are attached tooutpulse the network information digits. Based on the network trunkingplan, various interface protocols may be supported (debit, collect, longdistance, etc.).

During network seizure, information outpulsing and call setup, variouscall progress tones or states may be encountered. The CPC line interfacelogic supports detection of these network progress tones and supervisorystates. Progress tone decoder circuit 429, under control of CPCprocessor 401, detects the various network progress tones. Complexsoftware and hardware algorithms are used to detect network progresstones and states. The states include dial tone 431, congestion busysignal, subscriber intercept tone, call intercept announcement, linebusy signal, ringback tone 433, ring no-answer, answer supervision, andquiet. Loop polarity detection circuit 435 in CPC 210 supports hardwareanswer supervision. The detect circuit looks for a reverse tip and ringloop polarity.

Optionally, CPC 210 has “CLICK” detect circuit 437 which monitors thenetwork line when answer supervision has been declared. The circuitsupports detection of a rotary dialed called party acceptance. Callacceptance by the called party using a touch-tone telephone is detectedvia an enabled CPC DTMF receiver. “CLICK” detect circuit 437 alsosupports flash-hook detection used for third-party/conference call setupby the called party telephone.

The PSTN analog trunks utilized with the present invention are typicallytwo-wire line interfaces used for local TELCO access. For this type ofline, CPC 210 connections appear on type 66 distribution blocks, whichare used to cross-connect the CPC ports 240 to the TELCO lines, or tothe IDC ports.

Referring next to FIG. 5, shown is a block diagram of digital interfacesubsystem (DIS) 207. IDC-MSI card 217 provides integrated analog todigital (A/D) conversion. A/D conversion is performed on the voicecircuits from the CPC ports 240 to the digital T1 interface card (TLC)219. Analog ports from CPCs connect to IDC-MSI card 217 at IDC analoginterface port 501. Each analog interface port 501 containselectrostatic discharge circuits to filter out sharp high voltagetransients. A line interface circuit provides loop control andtransmission battery feed. The coder/decoder (CODEC) converts inboundaudio from analog to 8-bit digital audio signals and outbound audio fromdigital to analog, aiding in voice recording, biometric authentication,and the like.

The CODEC's digital audio signals are gated onto the time slotinterchange (TSI) switch. The TSI receives digitized audio signals fromthe CODEC. Channel switching/connection signals are provided from theonboard control processor for each of the 24 channels.

In the preferred embodiment, the TSI switch acts as a trafficcoordinator to buffer and gate the digital data from each channel. Afterthe digital data is managed by the TSI switch, the digital signals arerouted to PCI-I 221 (shown in FIG. 2A). Digital signals are in a DigitalService Level 0 (DS0) format. DS0 channelized signaling is a 64 Kb/sdata digitizing rate used for T1 and E1 systems. Although DigitalService Level 0 (DS0) is utilized in the present embodiment, otherformats compatible with the objectives of the present invention may beutilized depending on the requirements of an institution call system.PEB buss 550 links IDC-MSI card 217 PCM channels to TLC 219 and DTI 505.

IDC-MSI card 217 is slave to the digital subsystem CPU card (CPU) 223.In the present embodiment, IDC-MSI card 217 edge connector supportsPCI/ISA control buss format, however, other formats may be supported.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, DTI hardware 505is a commercial design presently known in the art. Deployed in a largenumber of switching applications, the design is a proven technology.Specifically, the design is a derivative of a hardwire design similar toDialogic's® D/24-SC-T1 digital T1 interface card.

The basic function of TLC 219 is to provide an integrated digital T1network interface. When using the institution call system of the presentinvention, it replaces the need to use special channel bank typeequipment.

Digital subsystem CPU controller card 223 hardware is a commercialdesign. The design is a proven technology and supports various TELCOsystem applications. Key functions of CPU 223 include the processing ofthe digital interfaces, subsystem statistics, user inquiries, etc.

Digital subsystem controller card 223 is a full size card. The Pentiumprocessor based CPU 223 accommodates up to 256 MB DRAM memory. Asecondary level 512 KB cache is also provided. Communications betweendigital subsystem CPU controller card 223, TLC 219, and IDC-MSI 217 isprovided by the PCI/ISA buss. Floppy disk controller 509 supportsloading updated programs/data files. Hard disk 511 provides storagemedia for digitized voice and data files.

Inquiry requests may be initiated by a user of the system from one ofthe available telephones. Unique access codes along with the PIN number,biometric authentication, voice samples, or RF authentication, may beentered once the user receives dial tone from digital subsystem CPUcontroller card 223. When digital subsystem CPU controller card 223receives the digits, it connects to the line side and resends the digitinformation to IDC-MSI 217. The analog information is digitized byIDC-MSI 217 and routed via PEB buss 550 to TLC 217. Information digitsmay then be processed by digital signal processors (DSPs) in TLC 217.

TLC 217 has drop-and-insert capability to support digital data outputsthat may be processed by digital subsystem CPU controller card 223. Thedrop-and-insert feature in addition supports playback of digital voiceprompts during the inquiry process.

Digital voice files are preferably stored on hard disk 511 of digitalsubsystem controller card 223, although the digital voice files may bestored anywhere accessible to the system, whether local or remote. Theprocessing of digit information and the use of special menus support theinteractive inquiry process. In this embodiment, the recorder isincorporated into CPU 223. CPU 223 also contains software capable ofanalyzing biometric data from biometric sensor 109 (all depicted in FIG.1, not shown) via COM port 521. As described above, speaker independentvoice recognition software and speaker dependent voice identificationsoftware is commonly available and may be implemented by general purposecentral processing units such as CPU 223. CPU 223 thus can beimplemented to retrieve samples of speech from the user to verify a userto access the telecommunications system of the present invention. Italso contains software to analyze RF data 523 from RF receiver 107 viaCOM port 525.

Digital subsystem CPU controller card 223 LAN interface supportscommunication with the servers and associated inmate accountinformation. This supports account transaction processing between ITACand other inmate data files.

Digital subsystem CPU controller card 223 board connectors supportconnection to external I/O devices. For example, CPU 223 may includedisplay 513, keyboard 515, and/or COM ports 517 and 519.

Now referring to FIG. 6, displayed is a schematic diagram of theinterface structure of TLC 229. The TLC 229 is an integral part of thedigital interface system of the telephone call management system of thepresent invention. Digital T1 signals from the network enter the DTI-IDCcard (not shown) via T1XC line interface 601. The incoming T1 bit streamis interfaced to T1 interface circuit 603. T1 interface circuit 603 actslike a traffic coordinator for gating the digital signals. It buffersthe digital data received for each channel and interfaces the data toPEB buss 550. The serial bit stream contains the digitized voice andsignaling information for each channel. Under the control of TLC onboardcontrol processor 605, T1 interface card 603 can route a channel beingprocessed to any available PEB buss 550 time slot.

PEB buss 550 supports up to 24 time slots in the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention. However, the number of time slots may be altereddepending on the desired capacity of the call system of the presentinvention. This enables the telephone call management system to routechannels to/from the IDC-MSI card. Each time slot is a digitized bitstream and represents one voice channel. This enables T1 interface card603 to switch voice channels on PEB buss 550 to and from the IDC-MSIcard analog interface ports.

PEB buss 550 time slot data may be routed to a series of digital signalprocessor (DSP) 607 interface. DSP 607 processes the digitized audiosignals data on each channel. This design supports channeldrop-and-insert capability. Under control of TLC onboard controlprocessor 605, digital data may be extracted from the bit stream and/orinserted into the bit stream.

Digital signal processor 607 supports user inquiry features of the callsystem and any voice authentication that may be employed. Digital signalprocessors 607 may be programmed to perform signal analysis, toautomatically adjust gain control, to compensate for variations in thelevel of incoming audio signals, to compress digitized voice datacompression, to send and/or receive DTMF or inband signaling, to monitorchannel conditions and status, to detect presence of tones (DTMF, MF,etc.), detect silence/quiet, to determine if a caller is not responding,to decompress stored audio data, to compress audio data for playback, toadjust the volume and rate of speed of playback, to signal bit control(off-hook, on-hook, etc.) based on trunk types (FXS, E&M, etc.), etc.

TLC onboard control processor 605 controls TLC 603 operation via localcontrol buss 609. Local control buss 609 interprets and executescommands from TLC onboard control processor 605. Communications betweenTLC onboard control processor 605 and the host CPU is via dual portshared RAM memory 613. Dual port shared RAM memory 613 acts as an inputbuffer and/or output buffer. Upon initialization, the operating firmwarethat controls TLC 603 is downloaded from the CPU. It is downloaded intothe onboard code/data RAM via dual port shared RAM interface 614 viaPCI/ISA control buss 503.

Specifically, control of the digital interface subsystem is provided byconfiguration manager 611. Configuration manager 611 determines and setsvarious board level operational parameters. This feature eliminates theneed to set confusing jumpers or dipswitches.

Referring next to FIG. 7, shown is a block diagram depicting theperformance of the data communication card (DCC) 225 of the preferredembodiment of the present invention, as depicted in FIG. 2A. In thedesign of the preferred embodiment, DCC 225 supports up to 15 serialcommunication (“COM”) ports 701. However, any number of serial COM ports701 may be utilized depending on the capacity requirements of thetelephone call management system. Server UARTS (Universal AsynchronousReceiver Transmitter) (2 ports per UART, however, any number may beutilized) (i.e., 705, 707) and internal central processor's COM port 717effect communication between subsystem cards.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, one of UART ports705 supports an internal modem circuit for remote dial access. Inaddition, six of UART ports 707 are dedicated for connecting up to sixCPC serial COM ports 701 from the CPS. Other serial COM ports 701include one port dedicated for CSC communications and a second COM portdedicated for communications with the system concentrator communicationcard. Communications between the data communication card and the systemmemory card is via internal processor COM ports 708.

A battery backed real time system clock 709 on DCC 225 supports anaccurate date and time stamp function. This capability is used for timestamping call detail records (SMDR) and reports.

Data communication card central processor 717 sanity is monitored byinternal watch dog timer (WDT) 711. This feature provides a hardwaretype reset for data communication card central processor 717. Forexample, if a non-recoverable error condition affects the processorsanity, the feature would force reset data communication card centralprocessor 717. Furthermore, WDT 711 feature may force data communicationcard central processor 717 and/or SMC processor to reset.

DCC 225 has two types of memory located on the board, which include ROM(read only memory) 713, equipped at either 256 or 512 kB in the presentembodiment, and SRAM (static random access memory) 715, equipped at 512kB in the present embodiment. ROM 713 contains the operating programsfor DCC 225. On power-up, data communication card central processor 717boots and initializes the operating programs.

Battery-backed SRAM 715 supports real time and configuration datarequirements. Configuration data may be site specific. Alternatively,site programs can be downloaded from remote operations centers.

PCI-1 703 is based on a passive card design. It consists of connectorsthat distribute and connect signals between subsystem cards. Each callsystem unit is equipped with one PC card referred to as PCI-I. The PCI-1card supports the distribution of signals between DCS, SIS, and CPS ineach unit. The PCI cards plug into a standard card slot in the Callsystem unit.

DCC 225 controls and performs communications functions betweenelectronic switchboard unit subsystems. In addition, DCC 225 supportscommunications with units and subsystems via the CCS. Some operationaland maintenance features of the DCC 225 hardware include visualindicators, special line modem access jacks, external serial COM portaccess jacks, reset & write protect switches, memory equipped options,etc.

In the preferred embodiment, modem access for remote maintenance andadministration is supported by line modem 720 and line modem jack 718,such as a RJ14 telephone jack. Generally, the access line usage is lowand may be controlled. Therefore, an option makes it possible to sharethe line for user calling to allow for efficient operations of the callsystem.

Next referring to FIG. 8, shown is the architecture of system memorycard (SMC) 227 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention asdisclosed in FIG. 2A. Functionally, system memory card 227 providesvoice processing and buffering of digitized voice files for use asinteractive voice prompts and/or use as voice authentication. SMC 227also performs buffering for call detail records and inmate voicerecordings. SMC 227 communicates with the data communication card viathe SMC processor 805 internal COM ports. SMC 227 and SMC processor 805support data and voice communications in the electronic switchboarddevice of the call system of the present invention. Watch dog timers 803on processors 805 monitors sanity. SMC processor 805 will reset theinternal control of the DCC of the present invention and vice-versa.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for four (8by 4) cross-point arrays 809. However, other cross-point arrays andconfigurations may be used. Each cross-point array 809 provides accessto the four voice processing circuits on the SMC provided in thepreferred embodiment of the present invention. Each equipped CPCprovides four audio line record/playback buss connections to SMC 227.Based on a fully equipped unit (6 CPSs per unit at 4 audio line busseseach) a total of 24 audio line buss cross-connections are used in thepresent embodiment. For example, each one of the first three arrayssupports four audio line busses from 2 call processing cards.Specifically, each array may access any of the four voice processorcircuits 811 of the present embodiment.

Voice processor circuits 811 code user voice signals into digitizedvoice files for recording and use for authentication. Voice processorcircuits 811 also decode user digitized voice files and convert thedigital signals to audio signals for playback.

Furthermore, first-in, first-out (FIFO) buffer 813, along with the SMCprocessor's 805 DMA buss allow larger digitized voice data files to bemoved fast and efficiently to and from memory. A multitude of FIFObuffers 813 may be utilized for providing a more efficient call system.

Alternatively, or in addition to the FIFO buffers, memory extensionmodules 815 may be utilized and designed as plug-in modules for the SMC227 (as depicted in FIG. 2A, not shown). Memory extension modules 815contain four Meg memory expansions per module in the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

Referring next to FIG. 9, depicted is a block diagram of the systemconcentrator card (SCC) 229. SCC 229 is a communications interfacecontroller between multiple electronic switchboard devices and isgenerally integrated within the electronic switchboard device of thepresent invention. SCC 229 supports and controls up to 15 serial COMports 901 in the present embodiment of the invention. Serial COM ports901 generally comprise 7 DARTS 903 (2 ports per DART) and the seeinternal processor's serial COM port 905.

Specifically, in this embodiment, one DART port 907 supports an internalmodem circuit 909 for remote dial access. Typical COM ports used in SCC229 include four serial COM ports which are used to connect to the Decin each electronic switchboard device unit equipped and one serial COMport used to connect to a server COM port. In the present configuration,the SCC processor's COM ports 905 connect directly to the CMC 231 COMport. Furthermore, a battery backed real time clock circuit 911 is alsopart of the SCC design.

SCC internal processor 915 sanity is monitored by an internal watch dogtimer feature 913. This feature provides a hardware type reset for SCCinternal processor 915. If a non-recoverable error condition affects theprocessor sanity, the feature force resets the SCC internal processor915.

SCC 229 comprises two types of memory located within the system.Specifically, SCC 229 includes programmed memory ROM 916 (read onlymemory), equipped at either 256 or 512 kB in the present embodiment, anddata memory SRAM 917, (static random access memory) equipped at 512 kBin the present embodiment. Although the specific memory capacity for thesystem is provided for disclosure purposes, it is foreseeable thatadditional memory, either internal or external to the system, may beprovided depending on he desired capacity of the call system. Generally,ROM is used for program memory and contains the SCC's operatingsoftware.

In the preferred embodiment, CMC 231 performs buffering for call detailrecords as a backup to the system memory card. The CMC 231 communicateswith the system concentrator communication card via the processorsinternal COM ports 905. Together they support data communications in thetelephone call management system. Watch dog timers 923 on the CMC andSCC processors monitor sanity. A reset from either processor will resetthe companion processor. The CCS's CMC uses the same basic hardware asthe SMC equipped in the DCS.

Call system software controls all monitoring, recording, financialtransactions, and other call processing features. In the preferredembodiment of the present invention, call system software contains sixmain components. A general description of the call system software isprovided herein to offer a general understanding of the possiblesoftware for use with an investigative call system. However, thedescription provided is not intended to provide the full scope ofsoftware functions compatible with the present invention. For example, asystem administrator section controls which institution authorizeshardware and telephone access to the system. A user administratorsection controls which prison authorities have access to the software.Specifically, in a prison environment, the warden may have access tomodify all features within the system whereas a guard may only be ableto change user profiles in his own cellblock. The account section allowsinmate profiles to be created and modified. It monitors the inmate'scalling data and financial transaction data. A shadow section allows thesoftware to control the various Spybox monitoring stations to listen toinmate calls. A fifth section allows users of the software to compilevarious system reports, such as net monthly financial transactions andan extra digits dialed report. A final section processes the biometricinformation and the RF data for use in authentication. This section usesvarious algorithms to check a user's recorded information against datasupplied to the biometric scanner and RF receiver.

System administration software allows an institution staff member todefine defaults and to customize the system. Generally, only authorizedstaff members may have access to customize system settings, based onindividual staff member security levels. However, a user security levelmay be determined when a user first logs into the system containing thecall system software based upon username and the access level that hasbeen set for each user name by a user manager. The sub-menus of softwaremay include class of service (COS) maintenance, living unit maintenance,telephone location maintenance, facility telephone number control,nationwide telephone number control, call pricing, facility defaultmaintenance, transaction type maintenance, etc. In addition, theinstitution employees may have access to update multiple telephonelists, view calls in progress, monitor calls in progress, manuallymodify transactions, enable/disable telephones, modify the class ofservice, etc.

Referring next to FIG. 10, depicted is a sample class of servicemaintenance menu 1000 integrated with the current system of the presentinvention. The class of service maintenance menu 1000 may be provided toan authorized institution agent for monitoring the various aspects ofthe call system of the present invention. Various classes of servicemaintenance menus (from very simple general menus to extensive broadmenus) may be provided in accordance with the general objectives of thepresent invention. However, depicted is a general class of servicemaintenance menu 1000 illustrating certain common features as presentedin a standard IBM compatible software based program. Although numeroussoftware protocol systems may be utilized in accordance with the overallobjectives of the present invention, it is preferred that MicrosoftWindows® based programs are utilized. However, the present invention iscompatible with other types of operating systems that may be employeddepending on the requirements of the institution. In class of servicemaintenance menu 1000, numerous points of information are depicted forusers, including, but not limited to the total number of minutes allowedper user in any given day 1001, week 1003, or month 1005. It isforeseeable that class of service maintenance menu 1000 also sets thedates and times 1007 that calls may be made, as well as telephone callmaximum duration 1009 and the time duration between calls 1011.Authorized system users may also set restrictions on access to theinquiry system via data input fields. For example, a data input fieldmay be provided for limiting the number of inquiries 1013 or limitingthe number of transfers from the commissary 1015. Further parameters canbe determined by system users by changing class of service (COS)maintenance settings 1019. For example, for ease of application, accesslevels usually match the ‘Default COS’ 1017, but may be customized foreach user.

Now referring to FIG. 11, shown is authorized agent maintenanceinterface screen 1100. Many institutional facilities include individualbuildings, departments, wings, etc. (e.g., the term cellblocks is oftenused or different divisions of a prison facility). As depicted inauthorized agent maintenance interface screen 1100, the call system ofthe present invention refers to these as “living units”. As representedin the authorized agent maintenance interface screen 1100, severalcontrol settings can be applied to an entire living unit at a time,including setting the default COS for the unit. If assigned, a personaldesignation overrides a living unit designation and a living unitdesignation overrides a facility designation. For example, in acorrectional facility, living unit name 1101 is the name assigned to thecellblock (e.g., “Cell Block B”, “Cell Block C”, etc.). In addition, inthis example, the living unit COS 1103 is the default COS that will beassigned to inmates assigned to that living unit. Furthermore, thenumber of living unit telephones 1105 is for informational purposesonly, and does not affect the program. Further, options may be availabledepending on the requirements and capacity of an institution.

Referring next to FIG. 12, depicted is a sample telephone locationmaintenance screen 1200 utilized in the present invention. For example,telephone location maintenance screen 1200 allows an institutional staffmember to define for each telephone station which user telephone accountcontrol server may be utilized defined in site server name field 1201.In addition, station number field 1203 provides a data entry point forassigning the station ID or station number to address each telephonelocation. Living unit field 1205 provides institutional staff members adata entry point to address the telephone locations in various locationblocks throughout the institution. Location field 1207 allows usersaccess to specific trunk lines within the call system. Finally,telephone locations summary block 1209 provides a general summary to astaff member for maintaining a call system.

In this example, all parameters except the line number can be changed bystaff members' intervention. Further options may be accessible dependingon the requirements of an institution.

FIG. 13 depicts a sample facility telephone number control screen 1300.Facility telephone number control screen 1300, accessed from a mainscreen, provides authorized users the ability to define a list ofnumbers that supercedes the user's personal telephone number list 1315for either collect and/or direct dial numbers at the facility level.Each telephone number can be modified in the telephone number field1302. A maximum extra digits field 1305 indicates the number of digits auser is allowed to dial after a call has been connected.

Facility telephone number control screen 1300 additionally contains calltype block 1317 that contains a number of fields indicating the type ofcall. Block field 1301 is selected if a telephone number is not allowedon the user's personal list. Allow field 1303 is selected if thetelephone number in telephone number field 1302 is on the user's allowedlist. If no list required field 1304 is selected, a user does not haveto place the telephone number on their personal list in order to callit. Type block 1317 additionally contains collect field 1319 which isselected if a user is authorized to call the number collect. Similarly,type block 1317 also contains direct field 1321 which is selected if auser is authorized to call the number utilizing direct call means.

Facility telephone number control screen 1300 additionally contains anumber of days field indicating the number of days a telephone number isactively on the list. In this example of the present invention, settingnumber of days to “*” will cause the number to be active on the listindefinitely. Any number greater than “*” will cause the number to onlybe active for that number of days.

Brief comment field 1311 may be used to describe the reason a telephonenumber is on the list or any other like comments. The user securitylevel that added the number is indicated (and cannot be modified) in“User” field 1313.

Depicted in FIG. 14 is a sample tasks/system nationwide telephone numbercontrol screen 1400. For example, telephone number control screen 1400allows authorized users the ability to define a list of numbers thatsupercedes both the user's personal telephone number and facility numbercontrol list for either collect and/or direct dial numbers at thenational level. Telephone number control screen 1400 can be accessedfrom a main menu.

Telephone number control screen 1400 contains a list of telephonenumbers 1402 which can be assigned a “Blocked” designation 1401 or an“Approved” designation 1403. Blocked numbers will not be connected evenif they are on a user's personal list. Approved numbers are connectedeven if they are not on the user's personal list. Numbers can also beassigned an “Exclude” designation 1404 set to exclude. Excluded numbersare not included in any lists or filters generated using wildcards. Thenumber of extra digits dialed field 1405 can be used to limit the numberof digits a user is allowed to enter after a telephone call has beenconnected to prevent a user from achieving an unauthorized connection orfor certain-gaming telephone options.

A number of days field 1407 is used to set the number of days that anumber is actively on a user's list. In this example of the presentinvention, setting number of days to ‘0’ will cause the number to beactive on the list indefinitely. Any number greater than ‘0’ will causethe number to be active for only that amount of days, starting from whenthe number was added to the list as indicated by Date field 1409.

Comment field 1411 is used to describe the number or the reason thenumber is on the list. User field 1413 indicates the user security levelneeded to add/edit a number on this screen. In this example, user field1413 cannot be modified.

Referring next to FIG. 15, shown is an example default maintenancescreen 1500. At the top default maintenance screen 1500 are facilitynumber field 1501, facility code field 1503 (automatically generatedthree-letter designation code), facility name field 1505, andoriginating ANI field 1507. Facility number field 1500 indicates thenumber assigned to the facility to which the options on this screenapply. Similarly, facility code field 1503 contains a three-characterdesignation automatically assigned to each facility. Facility name field1505 indicates a user-specified name assigned to each institution. ANI(Area Number Identified) field 1507 displays the caller's telephonenumber. Basically, the originating ANI data identifies the source of acall. Despite having multiple lines, a facility might only have one ANIso that all calls are identified the same way. The ANI field is usefulfor cross-referencing invoices received from local exchanger carriers orInter-Exchange carriers to the institution.

A class of service parameter 1509 allows an authorized user to choose aspecific class of service from a drop down list (e.g., “Default COS”,“COS 1”, “COS 2”, etc.). Number of living units field 1511 indicates thenumber of living units in each facility. Number of telephone stationsfield 1513 displays the number of telephone terminals in use in eachliving unit. Number of trunk lines field 1515 indicates the number oftrunks available at the facility.

Facility default maintenance screen 1500 additionally includes userdefault block 1516. In the example of FIG. 15, user default block 1516is an inmate default block 1516. Inmate default block 1516 containsliving unit menu 1518 from which different living units can be chosen.For each living unit accessible from living unit field 1518, the defaultlanguage can be selected from language field 1517. Status code field1519 contains a letter associated with specific features of theinstitution.

Telephone number block 1520 contains the default settings used for alltelephone numbers in class of service field 1509. Direct call field 1523indicates if direct call access is allowed. Similarly, collect callfield 1521 indicates if collect call access is allowed. Record field1525 indicates if calls are to be recorded. Allow field 1526 indicatesif added telephone numbers are to be allowed by default. Alert field1527 indicates if all telephone numbers added under this particularclass of service are to be flagged in a user's profile. Additionally,telephone number default block 1520 also contains an extra dialed digitsfield indicating the number of digits that a user may press after a callhas been connected and a maximum active telephone numbers field 1531indicating the number of allowed telephone numbers on any user's list.

FIG. 16 depicts an example of a multiple telephone list update screen1600. Multiple telephone list update screen 1600 is used to rapidly addseveral telephone numbers to an inmate's account in a manner that allowsan authorized user to see which options have been chosen for each numbersimultaneously. The information display includes multiple fields.Register number field 1623 displays the unique eight-character numberassociated with each user authorized under the call management system toplace outbound telephone calls. Name field 1601 includes sectionsindicating a user's first name, last name, and middle initial. Maximumactive telephone numbers field 1603 displays the maximum numbers that auser may have on their individual telephone list. Telephone number field1605 displays the telephone number for which options are being set. Newnumbers can be added in this field or old ones may be modified. Commentsfield 1606 can be used to add any information significant to thetelephone number listed in telephone number field 1605. Called partylanguage field 1609 is used to select the language used for voiceprompts that interface the called party. Record field 1607 can beselected if all calls placed to the specific number are to be recorded.In this example of the present invention, all calls are recorded bydefault. Alert telephone number field 1611 indicates if the telephonenumber is to be flagged in a user's profile. Extra dialed digits field1621 indicates the number of digits a user may enter after a telephonecall has been connected.

Multiple telephone list update screen 1600 additionally contains fieldslimiting access to different call methods. Allow field 1613 is used toindicate if a user is authorized to contact the specified number. A notallow reason field 1615 allows a comment to be added indicating why thenumber is blocked. Collect field 1617 indicates if a user can access thenumber utilizing collect call means. Similarly, direct field 1619indicates if a user can access the number utilizing direct call means.

Referring next to FIG. 17, shown is a view calls in progress screen 1700that enables a call system administrator to oversee a list of callscurrently in progress. Each telephone station's status is indicated byactivity icon 1702 in the first column shown on view calls in progressscreen 1700. A number of column headings are used to indicate thedifferent statuses of each telephone terminal. An alert column displays“Yes” if the called number has caused an alert or “No” if the callednumber has not caused an alert. Recorder channel column 1703 indicatesthe recorder channel being used for each telephone conversationcurrently in progress. Living unit column 1705 displays the living unitfrom which the call is being placed. Register column 1707 displays theuser utilizing each telephone station. Name column 1709 displays theuser's name associated with the register number displayed in registercolumn 1707. Time column 1711 indicates the time a call was initiated.Duration column 1713 displays the amount of time a call has been inprogress.

Now referring to FIG. 18, shown is an example of a monitor calls inprogress screen 1800 that is part of the system administrator software.Call monitoring allows the institution to listen in on specific calls.This is done through the skybox devices. Neither the user nor therecipient of the call will be able to detect any change in sound qualityto indicate that a call is being monitored. Each telephone station'sstatus is indicated by icon 1802 in the first column 1801 shown on viewcalls in progress screen 1800. A number of column headings are used toindicate the different statuses of each telephone terminal. An alertcolumn displays “Yes” if the called number has caused an alert or “No”if the called number has not caused an alert. Recorder channel column1803 indicates the recorder channel being used for each telephoneconversation currently in progress. Living unit column 1805 displays theliving unit from which the call is being placed. Register column 1807displays the user utilizing each telephone station. Name column 1809displays the user's name associated with the register number displayedin register column 1807. Time column 1811 indicates the time a call wason-hook. Duration column 1813 displays the amount of time a call hasbeen in progress. Phone number column 1815 indicates the number beingcalled from each telephone terminal. Monitor calls in progress screen1800 may also include additional fields indicating station ID, linenumber, etc.

By clicking monitor button 1817, an authorized software user may monitorlive telephone conversations selectively. End monitoring button 1819 isused to end live monitoring.

Now referring to FIG. 19, shown is an example of a manual financialtransaction screen 1900. Manual financial transaction screen 1900 allowsprison staff members to manually transfer funds in or out of an inmate'sfinancial account. Register number field 1901 displays the uniqueeight-character number associated with each user of the call managementsystem. Name field 1903 includes sections indicating a user's firstname, last name, and middle initial.

Transaction type field 1905 indicates the type of transaction selectablefrom a list. The selection may be deposit, withdrawal, exception, amountof transaction, reference number, etc. Upon completing all manualtransactions for a user, a manual transactions report will be generatedautomatically.

Manual financial transactions screen 1900 is also used to close a user'saccount. This is done by setting transaction type 1905 to “release”.When a user is released using the manual transaction screen, the user'saccount status automatically changes to inactive, and assuming the useris not using the account at the time, the remaining balance istransferred to a commissary account. No further calls or transactionswill be possible with this account while their status remains inactive.In addition, a record of this release will automatically be made on theuser release report.

FIG. 20 depicts an example of enable/disable telephones screen 2000. Theleftmost portion of the screen, telephone block 2001, contains threefields. Station number field 2003 indicates the number assigned to eachtelephone terminal. Recorder channel number field 2005 indicates therecorder channel assigned to each telephone station. Line state field2007 indicates the hook status of each telephone station. A telephoneterminal can be enabled by selecting the proper station number andchoosing enable button 2009. Disable after current call button 20U isused to disable telephones after the line state status field 2007indicates an “off” status whereas cut off button 2013 is used to disablecalls currently in progress.

Enable/disable telephones screen 2000 also allows authorized users toenable/disable all calls at the living unit level or the facility level.Living units block 2015 is used to control the line state status of allphones in each living unit. Telephone terminals are enabled by choosingenable button 2017. Disable after current call button 2019 is used todisable telephones after all telephone stations are free whereas cut offbutton 2021 is used to disable all telephones even if calls are inprogress.

To enable/disable telephones at the facility level, buttons in facilityblock 2023 are utilized. Telephone terminals are enabled by choosingenable button 2025. Disable after current call button 2027 is used todisable telephones after all telephone stations are free whereas cut offbutton 2029 is used to disable all telephones even if calls are inprogress.

Now referring to FIG. 21, shown is sample user manager screen 2100 whichis utilized to control a self-contained application used for assigningaccess privileges to software users. Only authorized staff may accessthe telephone system. In addition, their access is limited to only thosefacilities for which they are responsible, unless granted increasedaccess by a higher security level. The user administration optioninclude a user manager and screens to set security level access and useralerts. Usemrname column 2101 indicates the different authorized users.User names typically indicate security level, such as “guest”,“administrator”, etc. Full name column 2103 typically displays thefirst, middle, and last name corresponding to each username. Descriptioncolumn 2105 displays a brief description associated with each username.

Different lists of users are accessed from groups block 2107, typicallylocated at 23 the bottom of the screen. User groups may include, but arenot limited to, account operators 2109, administrators 2111, backupoperators 2113, and guests 2115. Each user group may additionally begiven a selection. User security profiles and groups can be modified bydouble clicking on the desired user or group.

Referring next to FIG. 22, depicted a sample security level accessscreen 2200, which is available from the main menu of the user managersoftware. Security level field 2207 determines how much access a prisonstaff member has to work with information and modify settings in thecall management system. For each security level, the access capabilitiesmay be set for each feature, selectable from access level block 2201. Ifnone selection 2203 is selected, a user is denied access to the system.The view selection 2205 allows users with this security level to onlyview user profiles and other features of the system. The “view, add”selection 2207 allows users with this security level the added abilityto add new phone numbers to the software. The “view, add, change”selection 2209 allows users with this security level the added abilityto change settings within system. The highest level of access affordedto users is granted by selecting the “view, add, change, delete”selection 2211 which allows full control over the software. Securitylevel field 2207 includes selections such as monitor, unit operator,investigative, technician, supervisor, COF operative, etc.

Now referring to FIG. 23, shown is a sample user information screen 2300displayed at the top of every page of an inmate's account information.Users establish an account to have funds for telephone transactions. Inorder for a user to place a direct dialed call, a user must havesufficient funds in an account to pay for at least a three-minute call.For example, in a correctional facility, this account is separate fromthe user's commissary account, which is the inmate's general prisonspending account. However, a user may transfer money from theircommissary account into a user-specific account. Alternatively, a prisonstaff member can perform a manual transaction. At no time will anaccount balance be allowed to drop below zero.

A user must have a system account established in order to make telephonecalls from a specific facility. This information will be stored on thesite server which may be integral or remote from the call systemarchitecture. When an inmate is transferred from one facility toanother, only the inmate's account information, COS, and telephone listsare transferred to that facility. However, previous information mayremain in an archived database or other storage system.

Register number field 2301 contains an eight-digit number unique to eachuser. Although eight digits are utilized for the present invention,numerous character strings may be utilized depending on the number ofintended users. A name field lists the user's first, last, and middlename. Facility field 2307 indicates the facility at which the user islocated. Living unit field 2309 indicates the living unit in which auser is located. A language field 2311 is used to select the language ofvoice prompts used by the call system. Personal identification numberfield 2303 displays the user's PIN used to access the call system. ThePIN is used in conjunction with biometric authentication and/or RFauthentication. For example, as discussed with respect to FIGS. 2A and2B, the system of the present invention may implement a system ofspeaker independent voice recognition and speaker dependent voiceidentification to verify a user. Such voice processing can beimplemented with off-the shelf hardware or software. The PIN is aconfidential number. Should the number be lost or stolen, a new PINshould be assigned as soon as possible to prevent fraud. A unique PINwill be selected from a national pool of numbers and assigned to theuser.

In the example of a penitentiary, a find inmate button 2313 allowsaccess to an inmate's account from any page on the inmate accountinformation screen. User accounts can also be added from this screen viathe Add Inmate (or Add User in other embodiments) button 2315. Using the“>” button 2317 and “<” button 2319 buttons allows for easy navigationthrough inmate profiles.

FIG. 24 depicts a sample account screen 2400 which is used to monitor auser's account balance and suspension status. A user's financial accountis used to pay for direct dialed calls from their account. This isseparate from any money a user may have in their commissary account.When placing a direct dialed call, a user must have a large enoughbalance, displayed in balance field 2401, to pay for at least a threeminute call, or they will be informed that they have insufficient fundsto place the call.

The account activation date field 2403 indicates the date a user'saccount was originally created. It is supplied automatically by theprogram and cannot be modified. Financial and call records for an inmateshould be available back to this date. In the present example, the mostrecent data is kept locally on the site server, unless the inmate hadbeen transferred within that time, in which case only the data since thetransfer is kept.

The date of arrival field 2405 displays the date that an inmate arrivedat their current facility. The date of arrival is automaticallygenerated when an inmate is transferred to a new facility.

Inmates may be assigned a status code, displayed in status code field2407, to help separate them into various classifications. The statuscode is a single letter code from A-Y. The definitions for these codesare established by the central site server. In the present embodiment, astatus code ‘Z’ indicates that the inmate has been released, and theiraccount is inactive. Status ‘Z’ cannot be set manually. It is doneautomatically once an inmate has been released using the manualtransaction screen. An account with a status code ‘Z’ cannot make callsor process transactions from that facility.

Suspension field 2409 indicates whether or not a user's callingprivileges are suspended. Similarly, alert field 2411 indicates a user'scurrent alert status. Comments field 2413 can be used to display anyinformation regarding a user's financial, alert, or suspension status.

Buttons located in the lower right corner of account screen 2400 areused to modify a number of user settings. Print PAC button 2417 is usedto print a user's current PIN or other access number. Change button 2419is used to modify data such as user name, living unit, user languagepreference, status code, and comments. Change register button 2421allows authorized personnel to change a user's identification number.Change PAC button 2423 is used to modify a user's current PIN. Alertbutton 2425 toggles alert field 2411. Finally, suspend inmate button2427 is used to toggle suspension field 2409.

The prison staff has the capacity to temporarily suspend an inmate'scalling privileges using suspension block 2429. Number of days field2431 is used to set the length of a user's suspension. Begin date field2433 and begin time field 2435 are used to input the respective date andtime that a user's suspension is to begin. Similarly, end date field2437 and end time field 2439 are used to input the respective time anddate a suspension is to end. Information regarding a user's lastsuspension remains displayed in suspension block 2429 even after thesuspension has expired.

FIG. 25 displays a sample financial history screen 2500, which includesall call system financial transactions for the inmate's account duringthe year and month selected in year field 2502 and month field 2504. Adate column 2501 displays the date of each financial transaction. Timecolumn 2503 displays the hour at which each financial transactionoccurred. Type column 2505 indicates the type of each transaction (e.g.,deposit, withdraw, refund, etc.). Amount column 2507 displays themonetary amount involved in each financial transaction. Balance field2509 displays the resulting balance after each financial transaction hasoccurred. Facility column 2511 displays the facility location at whichthe transaction occurred. Reference number column 2513 indicates thespecific reference number assigned to each financial transaction. Usercolumn 2515 displays the system user that authorized each financialtransaction.

Financial transaction screen 2500 also includes a number of buttonslocated in the upper right hand corner. Display button 2517 refreshesthe financial transaction list for the month and year selected. Displaybutton 2517 must be pressed each time the year and date are changed.Current month button 2519 brings up financial transaction data for thecurrent month. Sort order button 2521 determines the order in which theinformation will be displayed. In this embodiment, the choices aredate/time (ascending or descending), or transaction type/date/time(ascending or descending). Refund button 2523 is used to perform adirect dial call refund.

FIG. 26 displays a sample call records screen 2600 which includeseverything about each call made or attempted, and whether or not thecall was successful. The range of dates listed is determined by yearfield 2601 and month field 2603.

Date column 2605 displays the date of each financial transaction. Timecolumn 2607 displays the hour at which each financial transactionoccurred. Dialed digits column 2609 indicates the sequence of digitsused during each phone call. Duration column 2611 displays the time inminutes of each phone call and charge column 2613 indicates theresulting cost of the call. Charge type column 2615 indicates thecalling method used for each telephone call (e.g., direct call, collectcall, international, etc.). Call result column 2617 displays theappropriate completion code for each call. A completion code is chosenfrom a pre-assigned code list indicating possible outcomes of telephonecalls. Recorder column 2619 displays the recorder used for each call.Alter type column 2621 indicates the type of alert triggered, if any.

Displayed in FIG. 27 is a sample telephone list screen 2700. A user'slist of telephone numbers is displayed in telephone number list 2702. Byselecting a particular telephone number from this list, its associatedinformation (i.e., name of party, whether to record those calls, etc.)can be edited using options located on the right hand portion oftelephone list screen 2700. Telephone number field 2704 is used tochange the digits in each telephone number. Date changed field 2703indicates the last time telephone number information was modified.Called party language field 2705 indicates the language of voice promptsused to interface the called party. Direct dial field 2707 is used toselect if direct dial calls are allowed for the telephone number listedin telephone number field 2704. Collect call field 2709 is used toselect if collect calls are allowed. Allow field 2710 is used to set thetelephone number to a user's allow list. Comments field 2711 is utilizedto store any extra information concerning the called party. Alerttelephone number field 2713 is used to toggle an alert flag on thetelephone number. Record field 2715 is used to indicate if telephoneconversations are to be recorded. Extra dialed digits field 2717indicates the number of extra digits allowed after a call is connected.Active telephone numbers field 2719 displays the number of telephonenumbers currently on a user's active list. Maximum telephone numbersfield 2721 displays the maximum amount of telephone numbers that may beon a user's list at any given time.

Shown in FIG. 28 is a sample call limit status screen 2800 containingthree separate sections. The number of calls block 2801 displaysinformation relating to the number of calls placed. Number of callsblock 2801 is divided into a collect section 2803, direct section 2805,and total section 2807. For each section, there is maximum column 2809,used column 2811, and a remaining column 2813. Additionally, eachsection contains today row 2815, “this week” row 2817, and “this month”row 2819. The intersection of these rows in columns forms nine fields ineach section for a total of twenty-seven fields in each block. Theadditional blocks are a number of minutes block 2821 and a number ofinquiries block 2823.

FIG. 29 depicts a sample access control screen 2900 in which the callinglimits and permissions are set, usually by assigning a predefined COS tothe inmate. Initially, the COS assigned to an inmate account is thedefault COS for the living unit they have been assigned to. In addition,all the settings and permissions may be customized for the inmatemanually.

Call access control block 2903 contains collect column 2911, direct callcolumn 2913, and total column 2915. Corresponding to these columns are anumber of rows. At the intersection of the rows and columns a number offields are formed. Calls/Day row 2905 is used to enter the number ofcollect, debit, and total calls allowed per day. Calls/Week row 2907 isused to enter the number of calls allowed per week. Calls/Month row 2909is used to enter the number of calls allowed per month. A minutesbetween calls row 2919 indicates the amount of time that must lapsebetween calls before another can be made. Minutes per call row 2917 isused to enter the maximum duration allowed for each telephone call.

Call schedule block 2921 determines when the inmate may use thetelephone system. For each day of the week, selected from the day dropdown list, there is a checkbox for each half hour period of time. Ifchecked, calls are allowed to begin during that half-hour. For instance,if 9:30 PM is checked, calls can begin anytime from 9:30-9:59:59 PM.

ITS access control settings block 2923 determine how many times inmatesmay perform an inquiry for each day, week, or month.

Maximum active telephone numbers field 2925 limits the number oftelephone numbers on the inmate's approved list. Commissary controlsbutton 2927 switches screens to allow control of when and how ofteninmates may access the commissary system and transfer funds.

A number of check box fields are also located on this screen, includingrequire approved number list (collect) field 2929, require approvednumber list (direct) box 2931, allow special number list 2933, use callbranding message 2935, and use intermittent message 2937.

Branding allows a pre-recorded message to be played for the called partyat the beginning of every call to announce, “This call is from aColorado Correctional Facility.” This message can be set for theindividual inmate, a living unit, or all inmates at a facility. Callbranding may be turned on or off at the discretion of the prison staff.

Much like call branding, intermittent messages play the pre-recordedmessage “This call is from a Colorado Correctional Facility” throughoutthe call. How often the message plays is randomly determined, within aset minimum and maximum duration between plays.

The Shadow software provides the capability to digitally record, store,playback and execute a possible keyword search. Shadow resides on aseparate site server providing flexibility in implementation and sizingof the system. It can simultaneously record conversations from alltelephones installed at a site regardless of the size of the site. As anintegrated part of the system, the Shadow software is completelytransparent to the user. An intuitive user interface is provided forplayback of the conversation.

The call records screen, (FIG. 26), is used to access the Shadowsoftware. Each call record can be played by double-clicking on thedesired call record. This example call detail screen is shown in FIG.30. Call detail screen 3000 contains all details of the selected call.Telephone number field 3001 indicates the number called. Date/time field3003 indicates the date and time the call commenced. Call result field3005 displays the final status of completed call. Facility field 3007indicates the facility from which the call was placed. Telephonelocation field 3009 displays the living unit from which the call wasplaced. Station ID field 3011 indicates the particular telephoneterminal used to place the call. Destination field 3013 indicates thetrunk line used for the call. Call type field 3015 displays the methodemployed for placing the call. Carrier field 3017 displays the longdistance carrier used for the call. City and state field 3019 indicatesthe location of the placed call. Extra dialed digits field 3021indicates if extra dialed digits are allowed after a call has beenconnected. Call details screen 3000 also contains three-way call field3023 used to enable conferencing calling. Clicking play button 3025allows authorized users access to the shadow software.

FIG. 31 shows an example spy player screen used for controlling theshadow hardware. The top half of the screen provides the user with fullcontrol of the software. Percentage bar 3101 at the top of the lowerhalf permits the user to see how far into the conversation he hasprogressed. This information can be used in conjunction with mark loopbegin button 3103 and mark loop end button 3105.

Play button 3107, pause button 3109, and stop button 3111 operate in thetypical fashion. Step button 3113 permits users to “fast forward” in therecorded conversation to any point. Playback is automatically resumedwhen the step button is released. Back button 3115 is used in a similarmanner. Mark loop begin button 3103 marks the beginning of a selectedsegment of the recorded conversation for repeated playback. This featureis extremely useful when a segment of the recorded conversation is notreadily understood. Mark loop end button 3105 marks the end of aselected segment of the recorded conversation for repeated playback.This button is grayed out until mark loop begin button 3103 isactivated.

Play loop button 3117 is used to replay the portion of the conversationfrom the mark loop begin to the mark loop end positions. Repeatedplayback continues until stop button 3111 is depressed. The button isgrayed out until mark loop begin 3103 button is activated. Volume bar3119 permits users to adjust the volume to a desired level. Close button3121 closes the shadow button and returns the user to the call detailscreen (as shown in FIG. 30).

The Shadow software also incorporates a text scan, which can be used tofind a particular call for audio review. A site to search is selectedfrom a drop down list accessed from the main screen of the software.This brings up a text scanner selection screen shown in FIG. 32. Textscanner selection screen 3200 contains a number of columns. Resident IDnumber column 3201 displays the ID number of each inmate. Last namecolumn 3203 displays the last name of the user. Similarly, first namecolumn 3205 and middle name column 3207 contain the first and middlename of the user, respectively.

After the desired criteria have been chosen from this list, the softwareexecutes the text scan and query result screen will appear, as shown inFIG. 33. From query result screen 3300, the desired call can be selectedand played back using the Shadow software. Resident ID number column3201 displays the ID number of each inmate. Date column 3303 displaysthe date the call was made. Time column 3305 indicates the time at whicha call commences. Destination ANI column 3307 displays the sequence ofdigits dialed. Duration column 3309 displays the time duration of acompleted call. Station name column 3311 displays the stationidentification number of the phone used to place the call.

FIG. 34 depicts sample remote spy screen 3400 used to interface theshadow software. It can be used to remotely view all calls in progress.Each telephone line is displayed with its associated status in statusbox 3401. By double Clicking on any telephone line, users can access thedetails (FIG. 30) of the call showing telephone number of called party,inmate RID, line out, first name, last name, screen block, line enabledor disabled, current status of line, off hook time, and on hook time.For each telephone call, a user can access buttons for force hang up,host record; or filename, start monitoring, start local recording, localrecord file name, or close. Users may also listen to real time telephoneconversations using this piece of the shadow software.

The call system allows for quick and easy tabulation of data. Everyreport contains at a minimum general report capabilities. Reports mayeither be generated automatically at certain times or under certainconditions, or printed upon demand by prison staff members withappropriate user level access. Reports may be generated for one facilityor a combination of facilities, depending upon the requesting user'ssecurity level.

All reports contain, at a minimum, time, terminal making request,parameters of the report, number of pages, report heading, end of reportfooter, report heading on each page, report title on each page,identified of the staff member creating the report. In the presentexample, the header on each page includes the prison name, report name,data and time of the report, page number, and field headings. Thefooter, contained at the end of the report, contains total for allcolumns containing dollar values, total count of inmates if the reportcontains inmate information, and total call counts or total callduration if report includes this information.

Various reports have different selection criteria and parameters to bedefined before running the report. Many will prompt the user for a startdate/time and an end date/time and an end date/time. Others require theuser to select individual or multiple records at a time. Some reportsutilize ‘wizards’, such as the telephone wizard, that allow the use ofpre-saved selections. All reports can also be saved for later use.

An example report is shown in FIG. 35 displaying an account telephonenumber list report. Account telephone number list report 3500 displaysall the telephone numbers on the allowed list for one or more inmates.For each inmate, the report displays inmate DOC number 3501, inmate name3503, and facility code 3505. The report additionally contains phonenumber column 3507, collect calls column (yes/no) 3509, accept directcalls column (yes/no) 3511, recorder on column (yes/no) 3513, numberallowed column (yes/no) 3515, called party language column 3517, datenumber added to their list 3519, and total number of telephone numberson the list 3521. Similar reports for call and financial statistics maybe compiled according to their desired use.

Biometric and RF Authentication Software

Separate software controls the biometric and RF authentication. Thebiometric portion of the software will be contained first.

As discussed with respect to FIG. 2B, upon entering an institution, eachpotential telephone user has a telephone account setup. If biometricauthentication is being utilized by the institution, the requiredinformation is scanned using a biometric scanner. This information isrelayed through the DIS and stored on the site server along with theuser's PIN and other authentication information. When a user attempts toaccess the telephone system at a later time, the system will ask theuser to supply the same biometric information to the scanner located atthe telephone. This information is compared to the biometric informationalready located on the site server using complicated algorithms toprocess the digitized data. If the supplied information matches thestored information, the user is authenticated and can use the callsystem call management system.

The biometric scanner may be a retinal scanner, fingerprint scanner,body heat sensor, or any other like device. Such scanners typicallyinclude means of digitizing the information so it is readily availableto the DIS.

As discussed with respect to FIG. 2B, the system preferably uses voicerecognition and identification to further ensure the correct identity ofa user who wishes to access the system. When the user enters the systemfor the first time (i.e., subscribes) he or she is required to provide aspeech sample. Speaker independent voice recognition is used to verifythe sample is significant (i.e., not just a whistle, cough, sigh, etc.).Then, during all subsequent accesses, the user is required to providethe same speech sample with the correct PIN. For example, in oneembodiment, the user is required to state his or her name each time theuser wishes to place a telephone call. The use of a speech sampleprovides an extra level of security in the system of the presentinvention. It is well known that PINS are easy to steal, guess or toobtain via coercion. Voiceprint identification is also generally lesscumbersome to the user than other methods of biometric identification.

The called party may also be voice authenticated each time a user placesa call (e.g., a record of voice prints for the called family members maybe established). This provides additional security because it ensuresthat the user is not communicating with an unauthorized party. Thebiometric information provided by the called party can also be used forthird party call detection. By continuously sampling voice data from thetelephone conversation, the biometric software can be used to detect ifa third party or an unauthorized person has spoken. Upon third partydetection, the call can be disconnected and/or authorities may benotified. This will cause an alert in the inmate's profile.

The biometric authentication software can easily be extended for usewith telephone cards. Upon purchasing a telephone card with limited orunlimited debit, the user provides voice initial voice data for futurevoice authentication. This may occur in a number of ways. For example,the user may be required to provide voice information at the institutionthat the telephone debit card was purchased, such as a supermarket orconvenience store. The voice information may also be provided the firsttime that a user calls the access number for the debit card. A voiceprompt asks the user to state and repeat their name. Additionally, thetelephone number from which the user is calling from may be asked forand entered via DTMF tones or recording based on the ANI data. Thetelephone system may then hang up the line and call back the numberprovided by the user and ask for voice authentication utilizing theinformation previously provided. Upon authentication, the user does nothave to repeat the initial voice supplication. If a user attempts to usethe purchased telephone debit account again, the user only has to supplyvoice authentication and/or an account or PIN. In this way, the userdoes not have to carry the telephone card to access the telephone systemand need only remember the telephone access number. This authenticationprocess can additionally be used with prepaid cellular telephones.

A similar authentication process may also be used to access an internettelephone account, or any other secure internet information. The personsimply uses the microphone attached to their computer to provide thevoice authentication instead of the telephone handset. This informationcan be transmitted via the internet to the server containing the storedbiometric data and be used to voice authenticate the user.

The voice database concept may be extended for use on a PSTN. Each userof the public telephone network would only be granted access if theuser's name is in the database. The voice database may also be used tolimit telephone access. For example, a convicted criminal would beblocked from ever calling his previous victims. Teenagers may also beblocked from accessing “1-900” numbers and the like.

A national voice database may also be used to track wanted criminals.For example, if a wanted criminal or suspect ordered a pizza from alocal pizzeria, biometric software, located on the same server as thevoice database, could recognize the calling party as the wantedcriminal. Authorities would then be alerted that the fugitive has beenidentified. Since the called number is known, authorities already have ameans of narrowing the search field for the criminal. Authorities maythen call the pizzeria and inquire about previously placed orders. Thiswould provide them with a list of possible locations that the criminalmay be located. Furthermore, if voice recognition is also in thecapability of the biometric software, the food order of the callingparty may be ascertained. Authorities could then inquire who placed thatspecific order. Speech recognition capability may additionally allow theaddress of the calling party to be located without ever having to callthe pizzeria because a delivery address or telephone callback number istypically provided when placing a food order. Once the suspect islocated, the suspect can easily be apprehended. This technology may alsobe used to help apprehend criminals who steal any device interfaced witha telephone network, public or private. Such devices include, but arenot limited to, cellular telephones, wireless internet appliances, andlaptops. Whenever the criminal attempts to use the stolen device, avoice print is automatically recognized by the voice database as notbeing an authorized user of that device. The proper authorities couldthen be alerted.

The RF authentication portion of the software operates in a similarfashion. When a user picks up the telephone, the RF emitter isactivated. The signal is reflected by a band the user wears and thereflected signal is received by the RF sensor. Using this information,the RF software determines the distance of the inmate from the telephoneand the user's uniquely encoded RF frequency. This is done using complexalgorithms known to one skilled in this particular art. If the user isnot a valid user of the call system, the prison authorities are notifiedat which facility and station ID the violation occurred. If the user isa valid user, the supplied PIN and/or biometric information are alsoauthenticated. The user is allowed access to the system only if theinformation supplied is valid and agrees with the other authenticationmethod utilized.

Referring next to FIG. 36, shown is an alternative embodiment of callmanagement system 101 configured to operate in a WAN (Wide areaNetwork). A plurality of user telephones 102 (wherein the actual numberdepending on the desired capacity of the institution call system) areincorporated into telephone bank 103 and are connected to electronicswitchboard device 105. It is preferred that telephone bank 103 may becentrally located within a facility to allow for centralized monitoring.However, it is foreseeable that telephone bank 103 may be located at amultitude of locations internal or external to a facility. Each usertelephone 102 is equipped with biometric sensing device 109, such as aretinal scanner, fingerprint reader, etc., or any combination ofbiometric devices, so that the acquired biometric data can be used foruser authentication. Alternatively, for efficiency, a single biometricsensing device 109 may be employed for a multitude of user telephones102. Additionally, each telephone may incorporate RF receiver 107 and RFtransmitter 108 installed to provide RF signals for authenticationpurposes. In this scenario, it is foreseeable that each user may berequired to wear RF transmitter 108 device to be received at RF receiver107 which may be integral (or remote to) telephone bank 103. Each RFtransmitter 108 is uniquely encoded to a specific authorized user. Theencoded signal for RF transmitter 108 may be altered on an intermittentbasis depending on the security desired at the institution. RFtransmitter 108 may be incorporated into a wristband, ankle band, or anyother like device. It is foreseeable that RF transmitter 108 may besemi-permanently or permanently attached to a user's person in anymanner currently known. Electronic switchboard device 105 regulatescalls and connects them to proper outgoing trunk line 111. Trunk line111 may consist of a multitude of connections to any number of local,long distance, or international telephone service providers. The numberof trunk lines 111 depends on the outgoing capacity desired by theinstitution. In addition, trunk lines 111 may be analog, digital, or anyother type of trunk lines not yet contemplated. Electronic switchboarddevice 105 also further incorporates an integrated channel bank,allowing calls to be processed over either analog or digital trunks asrequired by call management system 101. Specifically, when one trunkline 111 is occupied and handling an outgoing communication, electronicswitchboard device 105 automatically accesses an alternate trunk line tohandle the outgoing communication. If all trunk lines 111 on the systemare in use, the call may be routed to an alternate system as a busysignal (not depicted). For example, electronic switchboard device 105may be interconnected to another electronic switchboard device 105 whichmay be located within the institution or at a geographically distinctlocation. In this embodiment, electronic switchboard device 105 isconnected to an additional series of trunk lines 111. The electronicswitchboard device 105 routes calls to electronic switchboard device 105if call volume is high. A cross point switch integrated into electronicswitchboard device 105 may also accomplish this routing.

Multiple processors may also be incorporated into the architecture. Thisallows call processing even after component failure. The architecturealso provides for a sharing of the load between processors, whicheliminates system overload during extremely busy periods.

Additionally, electronic switchboard device 105 performs the voiceprompts heard by the user and the recipient of the call allowing theparties to respond to the menu selections. Electronic switchboard device105 also tests outgoing trunk lines as calls are placed and digitizestelephone audio for recording and/or biometric voice identification. Ifno dial tone is present, trunk line 111 is taken out of service for apre-programmed amount of time for maintenance. These capabilities arepre-programmed into the device's firmware. However, it is foreseeablethat software and software upgrades may provide these services inaddition to other services useful in the present invention.

A central site server 113 interfaces within call management system 101via first serial port 115. In the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, an RS-232 serial port is employed for the interferenceconnection. However, it is foreseeable that other types of serial ports115 commonly known in the art may be utilized. Serial port 115 may alsobe comprised of a direct hardware connection or may consist of a seriesof ports and connecting means commonly known in the art for connectingelectronic devices. Serial port 115 is designed to allow firmware drivensystems, such as electronic switchboard device 105, to interface withsoftware-based systems, such as a PC designed system operating as a siteserver. All user and telephone call information is routed throughcentral site server 113. At central site server 113, user callinformation is digitized for efficient data transfer and efficientrecord keeping. Central site server 113 stores at a minimum each user'sfinancial transaction data. It is preferred that central site server 113also stores the digitized audio used for voice prompts as well as eachuser's call restrictions, PIN, biometric verification data, etc.However, depending on the memory requirements, numerous site servers maybe employed. It is foreseeable that older archived data may also bestored on an integral or a remote computer system database (not shown)or kept on additional storage devices on central site server 113.

Connected to central site server 113 via a second serial port 115 isaudio recorder 117. In the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, an RS-232 serial port is employed for the interferenceconnection. However, it is foreseeable that other types of serial ports115 commonly known in the art may be utilized. Serial port 115 may alsobe comprised of a direct hardware connection or may consist of a seriesof ports and connecting means commonly known in the art for connectingelectronic devices. Audio recorder 117 may either be a stand-alone unitor incorporated into the hardware of central site server 113. Althoughit is preferred in the present embodiment that audio recorder 117 isdigital, it is foreseeable that other known types of recording devices,as well as those not yet contemplated, may be employed in accordancewith the teachings of the present invention. Audio recorder 117 recordsthe conversations performed under the direction of telephone callmanagement system 101. Audio recorder 117 is activated for each callunless the number being called is specifically flagged for no recordingor monitoring, such as calls to or from an attorney. Furthermore, audiorecorder 117 can monitor multiple telephone lines simultaneously, usinga different recorder channel number for trunk lines 111. The recorderchannel number further enables the site's staff to identify the callrecord they wish to review associated with a desired outgoing telephonecall. Each user telephone 102 is further associated with a stationidentification number. The station identification number allows thestaff of the institution to identify the particular user telephone 102 aparticular call was initiated and conducted from. It is foreseeable thatthe embodiment described herein supports up to 32 inmate telephonestations 103 and 24 trunk lines 111. However, multiple units 105 may beconfigured to support up to xxx telephone stations and xxx trunk lines.

Central site server 113 is controlled by software associated withadministrative workstation 120. In the preferred embodiment, theadministrative workstation 120 is connected to central site server 113via a local area network (LAN). However, it is foreseeable that othertypes of electronic connections may be employed. The administrativeworkstation's 120 software can modify call restrictions for individualusers in addition to all telecommunication activity of the institution.Additionally, according to the present example, the software also tracksthe inmate's commissary information, such as the account balance if adebit system is being used. Furthermore, depending on the needs of aninstitution, the database may perform other functions.

A commissary workstation 121 is used in conjunction with theadministrative workstation 120 to manage and record inmates' financialtransactions. In the preferred embodiment, commissary workstation 121and administrative workstation 120 are connected to a central siteserver 113 via a local area network. However, other known connections,or connections not yet contemplated may be utilized. Commissaryworkstation 121 can also record other financial information, such as theamount spent on collect calls by each inmate, amount spent on debitcalls, the total net financial transactions for each user, etc.

Shadow workstation 123 and investigative workstation 125 are alsoemployed in the present embodiment. Shadow workstation 123 andinvestigative workstation 125 are created via a local area networklinked central site server 113 in the present embodiment. Shadowworkstation 123 is used by a live operator to monitor telephone callswithout detection. It is foreseeable that this function is performed bysoftware integrated with shadow workstation 123. Shadow workstation 123software provides a means for patching into a call using circuitrywithout alerting the inmate or called party as to the operator'spresence. If the operator finds that a call being monitored issuspicious, the operator may activate the audio recorder 117 to record aportion of an active telephone call. The called party's number may alsobe flagged in the inmate's profile stored on administrative workstation120 or central site server 113.

Alternatively, software located on central site server 113 orinvestigative workstation 125 may be used to passively monitor calls.For example, when certain key phrases are spoken, voice recognitionsoftware activates audio recorder 117 via electronic means and alertsthe proper authorities that a violation has occurred.

Furthermore, investigative workstation 125 controls other monitoring andsecurity features interfaced in the call system. For example,investigative workstation 125 can be used to access past conversationsstored on audio recorder 117. Software on investigative workstation 125may also be configured to detect if a third party is present during aninmate's conversation. Investigative workstation 125 or central siteserver 113 may also contain voice recognition software to aid in callingor called party voice authentication. The administrative workstation120, shadow workstation 123, investigative workstation 125, andcommissary workstation 121 may alternatively be combined into one unit.Furthermore, 120, 123, and 120 may be integral within the central siteserver. It is also foreseeable that 120 may be alternately located offsite from the other apparati of the present invention.

While the present invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiments and several alternative embodiments, whichembodiments have been set forth in considerable detail for the purposesof making a complete disclosure of the invention, such embodiments aremerely exemplary and are not intended to be limiting or represent anexhaustive enumeration of all aspects of the invention. The scope of theinvention, therefore, shall be defined solely by the following claims.Further, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerouschanges may be made in such details without departing from the spiritand the principles of the invention. It should be appreciated that thepresent invention is capable of being embodied in other forms withoutdeparting from its essential characteristics.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for restrictingaccess to a call management system, the method comprising the steps of:during a registration process by a user of the call management system:receiving a first image from the user; verifying the first image isindicative of a face using image recognition; and associating theverified first image with the user and storing the verified first imagein a database; and during each subsequent access attempt by the user tothe call management system to place a call: prompting the user for asecond image; determining whether a visual characteristic of the secondimage matches a visual characteristic of the verified first image;determining whether the visual characteristic of the second image is astatistical match to the visual characteristic of the verified firstimage; and allowing or rejecting the call based on the determination. 2.The method according to claim 1, further comprising: during the eachsubsequent access attempt by the user to the call management system toplace a call: after the allowing the call to be completed, samplingimage data from the call to detect if an unauthorized person is party tothe call based on the visual characteristic of the verified first image.3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the camera is an infraredcamera and the first image, the first verified image, and the secondimage are infrared images.
 4. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: during the registration process by the user of the callmanagement system: assigning an identification to the user; andassociating the identification with the first image in the database; andduring the each subsequent access attempt by the user to the callmanagement system to place the call: receiving the identification fromthe user; and locating the first image in the database using theidentification.
 5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:in response to determining that the visual characteristic of the secondimage is a statistical match to the visual characteristic of theverified first image: querying the database with the identification;determining whether the user is authorized to place the call based onthe querying; and allowing or rejecting the call based on thedetermination.
 6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:taking a control action in response to detecting that the unauthorizedperson is party to the call.
 7. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: monitoring the access to the call management system byupdating the database.
 8. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: prompting the user to position his/her face within a fieldof view of the camera, wherein the prompting is implemented with agraphical user interface.
 9. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe visual characteristic of the first image, the visual characteristicof the verified first image, and the visual characteristic of the secondimage are measures of face architecture.
 10. An apparatus forrestricting access to a call management system, the apparatuscomprising: a database; and one or more processors and/or circuitsconfigured to: register a user, the registering including: receiving afirst image from the user; and store the first image in the database;and authorize or reject a subsequent call attempt by the user by:receiving a second image from the user; verifying that the first imageis indicative of a face; determining whether a visual characteristic ofthe second image matches a visual characteristic of the first image; andauthorize or reject the subsequent call attempt based on thedetermining.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the one ormore processors and/or circuits are further configured to: afterauthorizing the subsequent call attempt, obtain image data of the userduring the call; compare a visual characteristic of the image data ofthe user during the call to the visual characteristic of the verifiedfirst image; and detect if an unauthorized person is party to the callbased on the comparison.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 10,wherein the database further includes an identification provided by thecaller, the identification being associated with the caller and thefirst image in the database; and wherein the one or more processorsand/or circuits are further configured to locate the first image usingthe identification.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein theone or more processors and/or circuits are further configured to take acontrol action in response to detecting that the unauthorized person hasspoken.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the camera isan infrared camera and the first and second images are infrared images.15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the visualcharacteristic of the first image and the visual characteristic of thesecond image are measures of face architecture.
 16. A method fordetermining a number of participants to a live electronic communication,the live electronic communication having been initiated by a firstparticipant at an initiator side and including a second participant at arecipient side, the method comprising: sampling image data from theinitiator side of the live electronic communication; analyzing thesampled image data; identifying a number of participants on theinitiator side of the conversation based on the analyzing; determiningthat the number of participants on the initiator side of theconversation exceeds a predetermined number; and taking a predefinedaction in response to the determining.
 17. The method according to claim16, further comprising: sampling voice data from the recipient side ofthe conversation; analyzing the sampled voice data; identifying a numberof recipient participants on the recipient side of the conversationbased on the analyzing; determining that the number of recipientparticipants exceeds a second predetermined number; and taking apredefined action in response to the determining that the number ofrecipient participants exceeds a second predetermined number.
 18. Themethod according to claim 17, further comprising: calculating a totalnumber of participants that includes the participants at the initiatorside and the recipient participants at the recipient side; determiningthat the total number of participants exceeds a third predeterminednumber; and taking a predefined action in response to the determiningthat the total number of participants exceeds a third predeterminednumber.
 19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:sampling image data from the recipient side of the live electroniccommunication; analyzing the sampled image data; identifying a number ofrecipient participants on the recipient side of the conversation basedon the analyzing; determining that the number of recipient participantson the recipient side of the conversation exceeds a second predeterminednumber; and taking a predefined action in response to the determiningthat the number of recipient participants on the recipient side of theconversation exceeds a second predetermined number.
 20. The methodaccording to claim 16, wherein the analyzing includes biometric facialrecognition. determine that the second voiceprint database contains astored voiceprint substantially matching the third voiceprint based onthe search; conclude that an unauthorized user is participating in thetelephone conversation based on the determining; and take a thirdpredefined action in response to the concluding; and wherein the thirdpredefined action is one or more of terminating the telephone call onwhich the telephone conversation is taking place and alerting theappropriate authorities.